Rising with the Unconventional Harem

Karen looked out the window of the plane. She could see a giant city with tall buildings and a huge glass dome. They were above it now, but they would be setting down soon.

"I can't believe we're here at last," Maree said, sitting beside her.

"Me neither," Karen said, looking at her sister. "It has taken us so long to get here."

"I know, but we have finally made it. It's almost surreal."

Karen felt both excited and nervous about going to India. It was as if she had waited for this moment all her life, but now that she was here, it seemed surreal. She wondered how hard it would be to live in a foreign land where she didn't know the language or any of the customs. She was also worried that their mother would be too sick to travel, but she was determined to make sure her mother got well before they moved over there. The doctors in Australia had said that their mother had only months to live due to cancer, and Karen wanted to spend whatever time she had left with her mother before making the move over to India.

"I wonder if Mr Thakkar will be there when we arrive," Maree said.

"Of course he will," Karen said. "He promised me he'd be there."

The two sisters had met Mr Thakkar only once ten years ago in India during their vacation with their mother before cancer took away everything from them - their father, their home and eventually their mother as well. Karen remembered meeting Mr Thakkar as if it were yesterday. He was an old man then, a distant relative whom Karen's father had not heard from in years and whom neither Karen nor Maree knew anything about until then.

Their mother had been unwell for a long time before passing away, and Karen could remember how frail she looked during their visit to India ten years ago. But even after all that time and pain, she still smiled at him when she saw him waiting for them at the airport with flowers in his hands.

"My god!" Karen remembered hearing her mother say when she saw him there waiting for them ten years ago while smiling ear-to-ear; "you haven't changed one bit! You are just as I remember you." Then they embraced each other as if they were family members who hadn't seen each other in decades instead of just meeting after many years of being separated by distance, circumstance, and fate itself.

Mr. Thakkar was indeed related to their father, but he had been living a somewhat solitary life in India due to various tragedies and losses. Yet, despite his loneliness, he kept ties to the few remaining family members and had managed to forge new relationships and support networks within his community.

During their visit to Mr. Thakkar's home ten years ago, the sisters had learned about the tangled web of family connections, with some still unexplored or forgotten over the years. Through conversations and shared memories, they understood the importance of holding on to their roots and cherishing the happy moments even amidst the hard times and painful losses.

After their time spent with Mr. Thakkar and listening to stories about their family history, Karen and Maree walked away understanding the power of memories and bonds. It provided them with newfound resilience during the toughest points in their lives and taught them never to lose sight of their dreams or goals, no matter how unlikely they might seem.

And now, returning to India, they hoped to honor their family, particularly their mother, by creating new memories, cherishing the bonds they had formed, and continuing to pursue their dreams. They knew that life was full of both joy and sadness, but ultimately, it was up to them to choose how to face the challenges that lay ahead.

As the plane began its descent, Karen and Maree eagerly anticipated reuniting with Mr. Thakkar and finally beginning the next chapter of their lives in India, feeling inspired, hopeful, and grateful for the family connections that had led them here.