Finding Arun (40 page)

Despite Arthur’s continued silence, in an act of
maturity, Arun had extended several invitations to both he and Aunt
Ruby to attend the wedding. Unsurprisingly, Arthur hadn’t deigned
to respond and, though she had wished him the very best of luck,
Aunt Ruby had politely declined at her brother’s insistence, not
wanting to raise tensions further. Lucky and Hanara were the only
family members to represent Arun’s side, but their exuberant joy at
the permanent reunification of their family, and indeed its growth
with the official addition of Chandni, ensured that their whoops
and cheers for the happy couple more than made up for the absence
of the others.

The wedding reception was an equally simple affair
held at Chandni’s house and attended by most of the guests that had
witnessed the wedding ceremony. It was nice to have everyone
together celebrating and Arun found that he was able to relax and
enjoy the party much more than he had his leaving party a few
months prior. He stood proudly next to his new wife, leading her
around the room to receive words of congratulation from their
friends and family and, when he felt a light tap on his left
shoulder, he was overjoyed by who he saw when he turned around.

‘Manoj! You made it,’ he exclaimed, smiling broadly
at the refuge director.

‘Of course, how could I miss your big day?’ he
replied, shaking Arun’s hand and casting an approving look over his
nuptial attire. ‘It is always a little difficult to get away first
thing in the morning; I’m sorry that I had to miss the ceremony
itself.’

‘It’s no problem at all, Manoj; I’m just glad that
you were able to come.’

‘Congratulations Mrs Arun Rutherford,’ he said,
turning to Chandni with a deep bow.

‘Oh, that sounds so strange,’ she giggled shyly.

‘You look stunning; the most beautiful bride that I
have ever seen. Arun is a very lucky man.’

‘Thank you Manoj, that’s very kind of you.’

‘This is for the two of you,’ he continued, pulling
a small envelope from his trouser pocket and offering it to Arun.
‘May I suggest that you open it now? I think that you might like
what you find and, truth be told, I’m a little nervous about this
particular gift getting lost amongst the millions of others that
I’m sure you have received.’

Arun regarded the refuge director suspiciously, but
accepted the envelope and quickly tore open its contents.

‘Hey Bhagwan!’ he gasped, so loudly that a few
people standing close by turned to see what all the commotion was
about.

He had pulled from the envelope a greeting card
signed by Manoj and some of the staff at Rachna Hari, but it was
the cheque for an outrageous sum of money that had caused his
outburst.

‘I thought that this might help to get you both to
Mumbai and to put you through medical college, maybe even with a
little change to spare,’ grinned Manoj.

‘Manoj, we can’t accept this. It’s … it’s too much,’
stuttered Arun, still shocked by the row of figures present on the
cheque. ‘How … how do you even have this much money to give?’

‘Ah, well I’m glad that you asked actually. Thanks
to your intervention, we did very well out of the sale of the old
refuge. We never expected to get anything for it; to be honest I
had written it off.’

‘Manoj, that money should be invested back into
Rachna Hari, we can’t take it.’

‘Actually you have to take it, because I’m afraid
that we’ve inadvertently taken something of yours. Something that I
believe is probably of even greater value.’

‘What? What are you talking about? What could you
have possibly taken?’

‘Arun, as you know, the new refuge building was
gifted to us anonymously. It was a legacy donation and according to
the woman’s last will and testament, the building and an
accompanying note were to be passed to a son of hers. In the event
that this could not happen for any reason, the building was to be
transferred to us instead.’

‘I still don’t understand what all this has to do
with me,’ Arun said, somewhat perplexed.

‘The legal team couldn't verify the identity of the
son that was mentioned. They didn't find any legal record of his
existence, no match on the name, no birth certificate, nothing.
That's why the building passed into our hands.’

‘Okay …’

‘The will stated that the note would be left
somewhere inside the house, but it was never found before we took
possession of the building. As you know, moving has been a slow
process for us; we’ve been trying to get all of our files in order
and we’re still discovering little nooks and crannies because the
place is so huge. A few days ago one of the team finally found the
note in one of the top floor rooms; it had become trapped between
the floorboards. When we opened it up, well, I think you’d better
take a look for yourself …’ Manoj trailed off, holding out a small
white envelope that had already been opened.

Arun accepted the envelope and, extracting a slip of
crisp white paper, carefully unfolded it to reveal a short,
handwritten note in a familiar script that would leave him stunned
for the rest of the day.

My darling Arun,

I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Welcome home.

All my love,

Mum

THE END

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Marisha Pink is a rat race escapee turned author and
entrepreneur. Born and raised in London, from a young age she had
an unhealthy obsession with books and always dreamed of one day
writing stories with the magic and power to take readers on a
journey. After five years of working in advertising and marketing,
in September 2012 she decided that it was finally time to take the
leap. Backpack in hand, she left everything behind to travel around
Southeast Asia and complete her first novel,
Finding Arun
.
She’s been on a mission not to live life by the book ever
since.

marishapink.com

Bringing Finding Arun to life has been the most
incredible personal journey for me and I have been so fortunate to
have the support of family, friends and even strangers throughout.
To all of you, whether named below or not, thank you. I am humbled
by your faith in me and grateful for all the words of inspiration
and encouragement.

To Nina and Delton Pink, aka Mum and Dad, for the
unconditional love and support, for the unwavering belief, and for
giving me the space to write, both literally and physically. 95,000
words later and there are still no words for how much I love and
appreciate you both.

To my brother, Kishan Pink, for being a great
sounding board, for providing sage advice and honest opinion, and
for those crazy Kickstarter jungle beats. Your time is now.

To my family: G, Nita Dhumal, Madhu Thakur, Minaxi
Thakur, Dipika Keen, Prema Thakur and Prabha Thakur, for support
far beyond what I deserved. Your love and kindness knows no
bounds.

To Louise Melzack, for giving up her time, for the
endless bags of energy and enthusiasm, and for helping to shape the
masterpiece that was Please Fund My Book (yeah, yeah, yeah!). I
definitely owe you one.

To Angella Tapé, David Perkins, Gemini Patel,
Lisimba Pink, Jonathan Abrahams and Stephanie Pinker, for being
there when I needed you most, for your incredible patience and
superb acting skills, and for suspending your dignity to jump
around the street. I will never forget the fun of that magical day
and what it helped me to achieve.

To Rakhee Patel, Sheena Sikka, Anisha Brahmbhatt,
Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Mohamed Nawari, Jonathan Southee and Paul
Roussel-Milner, for being such supportive and understanding
friends, and for picking me up, putting me up and pushing me up. I
hope I can return the favour some day.

To Jermaine Dunbar-Reid, for not being part of the
plan, but for being my favourite distraction.

To my editor, Gary Smailes, and proofreader, Richard
Sheehan, for working their magic on the manuscript. You made this
book as polished as a book can be.

To my beautiful beta-readers, Janina Koschnick and
Hannah Premaratne, for giving up your time, for honest and astute
feedback, and for making sure the reading experience would be up to
scratch for everyone else.

To Abhishek Anil Naik, for the incredible cover
designs, which gave the book an identity.

And last, but not least, to my Kickstarter family,
without whom this book would not have been possible. I am forever
indebted to you: Amal Ismail, Amit Patel, Andy Palmer, Anisha
Brahmbhatt, Anjana Shah, Anna Clark, Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Bharti
Patel, Bhupendra Patel, Binita Sagar Shah, Brahman Narendran, Brian
McMunn, Buket-Deniz Ulusoy, Caroline Ahlefeldt, Cengiz Dervis,
Chani Davie, Cherry Phypers, Christine Delsol, Christine Miller,
Christopher Artry, Clive Harper, Colin Emerson, Daniel Thorns,
Danielle Romano, David Baker, Debbie Rosario, Diana Bates, Diana
Cuffie, Didi Boeva, Dipak Khakhar, Dipika, Andy, Anya & Ayesha,
Dora Angelov, Dorry Smith, Dr Sheena Sikka, Dray, Eduard Llena
Portell, Edward Cowling, Erica Deel, Fatai Bamigbola, Felicia Sim,
G, Gaynor Madoc Leonard, Gemini Patel, Gerald Okpere, Gillian Rowe,
Graihagh Quayle, Gurneesh Cheema, Hannah Premaratne, Henika Patel,
Henry Nicholls, Isaiah ‘Mob’ Saibu, Jacqui Dokoupil, Janina
Koschnick, Janvi Patel, Jen Dumbleton, Jenny Asante, Jessica Boxer,
John Hardcastle, Jonathan Fadugba, Jonathan Southee, Judy Carter,
Julie Dwek, Jyoti Leavis, Kaanal Patel, Katarina Ilic, Kathrin
Spieker, Katie Crockett, Katie Smith, Kelvin Hughes, Khrishanthne
Sambasivan, Kishan Antony Pink, Komal Badiani, Laura Ellis, Laura
Kavalier, Leanna Baker, Lisette Rexwinkel, Loraine Kanervisto,
Loris Stylianou, Louise Melzack, Luca Massaro, Marisa, Meena
Robinson, Melissa de Lusignan, Merle Clara, Mia Ali, Missy Tabor,
Mohamed Nawari & Hannah McGrann, Mohini Kara, Mr Lisimba Pink,
Mrs Minaxi Madhukar Thakur, Nigel Ellis, Nilpa Shah, Nita Dhumal
(Auntie), P. Roussel-Milner, Parit Shah, Peter Tonkin, Piral
Dadhania, PP, Prabha Thakur, P. Thakur, Priyesh Shah, Raakhee
Thompson, Rakhee & Kunaal Patel, Ramesh Halai, Rebecca Dadzie,
Ricky Datta, Rosie Chesson, Ruby Mannan, Sagar Boom Shaka Laka
Shah, Sam Petyan, Sam Sheldon, Samantha Fairweather, Sarah Azia,
Scarlett Rose Gray, Seema Dadhania, Seeta Shah, Sheesh, Shirley
Bode, Silvana D’Imperio, Simon Alderwick, Simon Watts, Sion
Griffiths, Sir Delton Pink, Steve Bartlett, Stevie Phillips, Suad
Garayeva, Sunil Shah, Tajinder Gill, Tim Woodcock, Tony Watkins,
Troy Bonar, Victoria Lopez, Vishal V. Shah, Yvonne Torre and Zoë
Humphrey.

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