Read Online Finding Arun by Marisha Pink - Free Book Online Page A

Prakash’s sweaty
palm.
    ‘So, what brings you to India? First time?’
    ‘Yes, it's my first time. I’m here to … visit
family,’ he explained. The words sounded strange coming out of
Aaron’s mouth, but Prakash seemed to accept them without question.
‘And you?’
    ‘Business trip. Trying to finalise a huge
construction deal. Can’t say too much about it though; all very
hush hush.’
    By the time the plane touched down on the tarmac,
Aaron had become entirely engrossed in his conversation with
Prakash, listening intently while the well-groomed man offered him
tips on surviving his time in India. It was refreshing to hear
someone talk positively, yet frankly, about his native country, and
a relief to enjoy a conversation whose topics did not include his
mother, Arthur or Kalpana. There was a long delay whilst the plane
taxied to the terminal building and waited for a stand to be made
available, but once the seat belt sign had been switched off, the
on-board chaos that had typified their departure quickly
resumed.
    It was a full hour before Aaron and Prakash were
able to disembark from the plane and after a prolonged, yet
agreeable conversation, they were finally forced to part ways
inside the terminal building. Mumbai was Prakash’s final
destination, whereas Aaron was in transit to Bhubaneswar, from
where he would be able to catch a train on to Puri. The two men
shook hands amicably, feeling more like old friends than strangers,
and in a gesture of kindness Prakash offered Aaron his business
card in case he ran into any troubles during his visit. Grateful to
have at least one local contact, Aaron eagerly accepted it and when
Prakash disappeared in the direction of passport control, he found
himself alone once more.
    He had been so caught up in the conversation that he
hadn’t taken stock of where he was. Though he had not yet stepped
outside of the airport, after weeks of planning he was finally in
India and the thought filled him with a small sense of triumph. He
followed the signs for passengers in transit and seemed to tour the
whole airport complex before finally encountering a huge crowd of
people, all vying for the attention of a single airline attendant.
A formal queue seemed to be absent with people pushing and shoving
their way to the front of the small airline stand, desperate to
have their documents checked and to progress through security.
    Aaron politely joined what he thought was the back
of the queue, but he was quick to realise that this strategy put
him at a disadvantage. Passenger after passenger simply entered the
fray wherever they could squeeze in and he found himself being
forced further and further back towards the direction from which
he’d come. He was hugely agitated by the disorganisation, but the
agitation soon turned to anxiety when a cursory glance at his watch
revealed that there were only two hours remaining before his next
flight was due to depart. He had no idea what gate he needed to be
at or what lay beyond the airline stand, to say nothing of the fact
that it would take him at least an hour to reach the front of the
ever-expanding crowd. Grudgingly he decided that he would have to
be a little more ruthless, and a little less British, with his
queuing strategy and surreptitiously he began to inch forward
through the swarm.
    Despite his best efforts, it was still almost an
hour before he reached the desk. Friends and family members had
appeared out of nowhere, joining their travelling companions ahead
of him in the throng. Families with small children and
wheelchair-bound passengers had been fast-tracked through, and a
further three flights had landed adding their passenger haul to the
commotion. It was a lot to contend with when he simply wanted to
change planes, but there was nothing he could do to expedite the
proceedings. When he finally reached the front of the congregation,
the diminutive airline assistant issued him with a security tag,
informed him of the gate number