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and never interrupt. There was much for her to go through and she would need understanding and support, especially during the first year. He was already looking forward to Christmas, to showing her the Christmas tree and the elves and the angels. And to the springtime, when the first shoots would force their way up through the snow. For her it must all seem like a miracle. So it would be for him, too. From now on everything would be new and wonderful.
    ***
    Marie gazed at the photograph in amazement. Then up at her brother's proud face and down again at the Indian woman, Poona Bai Jomann. With a filigree brooch on her chest. For a long time she was speechless. Her brother had quite simply found himself a wife in India. Walked into a tandoori restaurant and then won her in the space of a few hours. What kind of secret weapon did her brother possess that she had never seen? It was as though Poona had been waiting for him, in Bombay with its millions of people.
    "Mumbai," Gunder reminded her. "Well, this is how it happened. She was living her life there just waiting for me. She'll be arriving on the 20th; I'm picking her up from Gardermoen. Look. The marriage certificate," he said proudly.
    "You're a great catch for her," said Marie. "I don't suppose there are many men in India with an income like yours."
    "She knows I'm not rich," Gunder said.
    "Nonsense! You're loaded," said Marie mercilessly. "She's worked that out."
    He looked at her hurt, but she didn't notice it because she was still staring at the photograph.
    "Karsten will have a heart attack," she said. "You'll have to be prepared for gossip."
    However, she was also touched. A sister-in-law! She would never have believed it.
    "I'm not bothered about gossip," said Gunder. That she already knew. As happy as her brother was now, nothing could hurt him.
    "You'll help her settle in, won't you?" he asked his sister. "You women need to get together and chat like women do. Spend some time together. You'll find her gentle and kind."
    "I do wonder what Karsten will say," Marie repeated, obviously worried.
    "Surely you're not going to be put off by that?" Gunder said.
    "I don't know," she said and shrugged. "I suppose he'll be shocked, at first. I do hope people will be friendly toward her."
    "They will be," said Gunder rather airily. "Why wouldn't they be?"
    "I was thinking of the young people. They are cruel."
    "She's not bothered about young people," said Gunder. "She's thirty-eight years old."
    "Very well. I'm just a bit stunned by everything that's happened. But she's very nice looking. What did her family say?"
    "All she has left of her family is an older brother who lives in New Delhi. They aren't close."
    "But will she settle here? In this ice-cold country?"
    "It's only cold during winter," he said quickly. "Living with the heat isn't easy, either. It is fresher here. I told her so. Our air is drier. The humidity in India is so high that you're soaked the moment you step onto the street. She wants to try and find a job. She is capable and willing to learn. She'd prefer waitressing. We'll find something."
    Marie sighed. She sat stroking the beautiful ivory elephant that Gunder had brought back for her. Her brother's optimism was so great and so strong that she didn't have the heart to tear it apart. But she did have her doubts. Mostly she was thinking of the Indian woman who was coming to this tiny spot, a remote
corner of the world, peopled by farmers and callous teenagers. There were disdainful people in every single house. Gunder would probably cope, but how much could this woman put up with before she would begin to miss her own people?
    Gunder pinned his wedding day photograph onto a notice board above his desk at home. He had to move a photograph of Karsten and Marie, but his wife should have prime position. Every time he looked up at the photograph a powerful sensation welled up in him—it was as though a fountain had sprung deep inside him. This is my wife, he said