Henna for the Broken Hearted by Sharell Cook

Author:Sharell Cook
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

PART THREE

LANDING

Destiny Revealed

‘YOU look years younger and seem like a completely different person.’

My mum couldn't get over the change when she saw me. I felt different too. More connected to people, with a desire to be open with them. Previously, I would have needed alcohol to facilitate that.

‘I've met someone special,’ I confided to her. I spoke to her like I'd never spoken to her before, and found her to be unexpectedly receptive.

‘He sounds like a gem. It's obvious India has done wonders for you too. You should go back there and keep being creative.’

Her support took me by surprise and gave me confidence. I'd expected to encounter negativity. I was so used to hiding my life from her. Instead, her willingness to be open-minded made me feel closer to her and really improved our relationship.

It was harder to talk to my father. I usually found it easier to relate to him because he was more emotional like me. But I also feared his reaction as he was very protective. Although he didn't try and stop me, I knew my plans worried him. He didn't like the thought of me being with someone he'd never met, and one from a country so far away such as India. Just as Indians had preconceived ideas about foreigners, so too did foreigners about them – the wariness cut both ways.

I announced to anyone who wanted to know that I was going back to India to be with Aryan, and to write. Many people were alarmed. They relayed stories of Indians who had taken advantage of foreigners. Even my Indian friends in Australia were sceptical and concerned.

I was torn in so many directions. I felt more connected to my parents than I had in many years, and was enjoying spending time with them. Yet, Australia felt so strange. There was no spicy smell of incense. No feeling of wonder and possibility. Just a quiet emptiness, from everything being so orderly and in its place. I'd also become used to speaking in Hinglish, sentences that were a medley of Hindi and English, and had to stop myself.

It was worse at my house in Melbourne. My room and my furniture were there, but so were people I'd never met before. My housemate had moved on and friends of a friend were staying there. I sat on the sofa in my study, gazing out the window and feeling dazed and displaced. I now had belongings scattered in three places – my house, my parents' house and in India – but no home to call my own.

I tried to remain focused on getting back to India, but at the same time, I needed to be in the present. Getting a job was a priority. I registered with an employment agency in Melbourne and went for an interview. In the past, I would have been filled with trepidation and dread. This time I went energised and in a positive frame of mind.

The consultants were friendly and helpful, and they found me a position while I was there.

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