The cooler brother

Vineet looked at the clock. The school bus would be arriving at their stop in 15 minutes, yet he hadn’t finished his homework, nor had his breakfast. This was so not the person he usually prided himself on being. In his previous school, Vineet had never submitted a homework assignment late, and never ever missed his bus. What was happening to him after joining this new school?

The contrast between 12-year-old Vineet, and Atul, his 8-year-old brother was stark. Unlike in their old school, now, it was Atul who was ready first — homework done, lunch packed and mouth rinsed after a heavy breakfast. In fact, he hugged Papa goodbye and headed out to the bus stand without even waiting for Vineet.

This was also a complete change from a few weeks back when schools had just opened. Back then, dreading the first day of school, Atul had wanted to sit with Vineet on the school bus and follow him around on the campus.

Amma and Appa had been horrified that Vineet didn’t want his younger brother tagging along with him.

“It’s just for a few days, Vineet, till he makes friends… after all, he is your kid brother,” Appa said.

A few days? Vineet rolled his eyes in horror and snapped back, “It never is ‘a few days’ Appa! In the last school, he didn’t make friends for months!” Vineet had rushed out of the door, to keep maximum distance between Atul and himself.

On the second day of school, as Atul dawdled about pretending he had a stomach upset, Amma had chided Vineet, “He’s scared, son. You yourself know how much boys with braces and glasses get teased in school… just be around him in the bus and during the breaks, only for a few days.”

“Just for today, Amma,” Vineet conceded tersely, and that’s because he remembered the mean remarks he’d faced when he had worn braces. 

But on day 3 of the term, and days 4, 5 and 6 onwards, Vineet vanished from the house a good 10 minutes before Atul got ready. In the bus, Vineet sat right at the back where the older boys were, hoping to make new friends himself and avoid his pesky kid brother.

Vineet soon forgot about Atul as be began facing problems of his own. Moving to a new school because his parents had bought a flat far from his old school, had not bothered him initially. He still met up with his old school buddies on weekends. But somehow, making new friends hadn’t been as easy as he’d imagined.

After a few weeks of feeling completely isolated in class, he started dreading school. Atul on the other hand loved his new school. Now, while Vineet dragged his feet when catching the bus, Atul dashed out of the door, running.

One lunch break, when his classmates sat chatting with each other in tight groups, Vineet decided to go look for Atul. Atleast it would give him something to do and he could tell Amma that he’d been a good elder brother. 

Vineet expected to find Atul also seated alone in class. But that wasn’t the case. Atul was out playing with his classmates and didn’t even notice Vineet  lurking around.

Weeks into the new term, Vineet realised that Atul’s chatter over dinner was always about a certain Bijoy anna. “Bijoy anna said that his dentist too has told him he needs braces.”

And “Bijoy anna showed me how to control the ball, when being tackled from both sides.”

Vineet rolled his eyes… so now pesky Atul was the expert on football, it seemed…all thanks to this mystery Bijoy anna!

The more Vineet heard something that ‘Bijoy anna said…’ the more irritated he got. He quite forgot that he hadn’t behaved like a big brother to Atul during the past few weeks.

At breakfast one day, after more of Atul’s  ‘Bijoy anna said….’ Vineet snapped, “So how come this cool senior dude lets you follow him around? He’ll soon get tired of your non-stop chatter.” This was after Vineet had spotted Bijoy on the football field, wearing a CR7 jersey.

Atul, his mouth full of egg burji, replied, “I don’t follow him. Those first few days on the school bus when nobody would sit next to me, Bijoy anna did… every day. And the first thing he asked me was if my braces hurt.” 

“So we became friends over braces, first… football came later!” Atul grinned, flashing a lot of metal.

Friends? Vineet felt uncomfortable… that seat beside Atul had been empty because Vineet refused to sit beside him. 

He suddenly felt horrid. While he’d turned into a mean elder brother, Atul had miraculously found another, much cooler elder brother. 

He felt stuck now — jealous that he was no longer the big anna Atul looked up to and green with envy that Atul had made friends in class and in senior school, while he had managed neither.

He also realised that if he suddenly began walking to the bus with Atul, it really would be to get to know Bijoy!  Vineet felt well and truly miserable. He’d have to find a way to change things at school — without riding piggy-back on his little brother. But first he had to make amends with Atul — starting with maybe an apology?