ECHOES OF BELONGING

CHAPTER ONE

48yrs old, Decha Wongsuwan,  an Asian tan skinned man about 180cm tall from a distance his features appear like a mixture of Chinese and Indian features, seated behind his office desk deep in thoughts in a foreign country. Having lost his wife, the mother to his son, to a tragic accident, Decha had a lot to work out inside of him so as to be able to take care of their only son. Working through his pain he decided to give himself a break and sometime to heal. Decha moved from Thailand "the land of smiles" to Kenya " the world's best safari destination". All this just to find peace and a room to escape his pain for the sake of his son who was fully dependent on him emotionally, socially and financially. He really wanted to be okay so that he can be there for his son fully. As he is still turning around on his office seat, Norah a Lady in her early 40s enter the room ;dark impeccable skin, curvaceous with gorgeous cornrows on her head and a warm smile that attracts Decha from his imaginary world to paying attention to her presence. "that's how people start aging", says Norah as she invites herself to sit down, " am still young way too young to start aging" Decha replies as he leans towards her direction, " try convincing the grey hair on your head". Decha starts touching his head Norah on the other hand is just laughing as she knows she got him. 

After an year of being just a tourist in Kenya , Decha decided to find a job to get back on his professional feet. he got employed as a HR manager at East-wave a delivery services company and that's how he got to meet this single beautiful mother ,Norah, who is a public relation manager in the same company. Decha cant recall how and when  he fell in love with his African angel, he was just in love and at peace the two  got married privately as Decha's  side of the family had complication with this sudden moving on after his wife's death. But to him knew he had found the one and he wasn't about to loose her at any cost. After the marriage he adopted Norah's daughter Sydney, at the time 16yrs old in her third year in high school. Decha love for the two is unmeasurable and he feels Sydney although she is a girl with an isolated personality will be very good sibling and company for his son.

Norah ends her laughter and looks at Decha like she still doesn't believe this man is hers  and officially been married for one year and six months. Decha holds her hand and smiles at her, the love between them so visible the chemistry being a full ten minus nothing. They have a routine of driving home together and that's the main reason why Norah came to her husband's office to pick him up so that they can go home together. Decha wraps up his job, shuts down his computer, packs some few files in his briefcase and the two of them leave. The two take a lift elevator  down the floors to the ground floor they walk to a parking lot that is just in front of their company's building they get into the car and drive off, heading home. While at home Norah starts experiencing dizziness and ends up collapsing in the kitchen, Sydney coming in to get some water finds her mum laying on the floor and screams so loud that Decha comes in running. He carries her in his arms and heads out Sydney follows picks up the car keys and they drive to the hospital. 

Norah as for two months been ailing from glomerulonephritis and her kidneys haven't been functioning properly, she had been undergoing dialysis.

On arrival to the hospital, the nurses take Norah to the emergency room. Decha and Sydney wait at the hospital Waiting bay. They wait a few hours, the doctors come from the ER carrying a file on his hand and asks Decha to follow him to his office, Sydney goes to the emergency room to see her mum who is unconscious. Decha follows the doctor into his office, the doctor offers him a seat as he sits down the doctor opens the file he had been holding on his hand.  " Mr. Wongsuwan I would like to be the bearer of good news but unfortunately that's not the case today," Decha looks at the doctor confused and worried about what he is about to say next. " your wife's health has really deteriorated and her kidneys are now almost at a fail with her glomerular filtration rate at 14."  "what do we do doctor," "the only option is to find a donor before it's too late." Devastated by the news Decha walks out of the Doctor's Office not knowing how he will break the news to his family, wondering if he will find a donor for his wife he sits at the waiting bay deep in thoughts looking all depressed. 20 minutes later he walks to the waiting bay he finds his wife and daughter chatting and sit beside the bed. Norah looks so pale she looks at her husband and by reading his face she can tell something is wrong and pressures him to spill it out. Although very hesitant Decha tells her about the results, "Don't worry am hopeful there will be a way darling", Norah says this smiling so as to ease Decha's worries but in her eyes one can tell she doesn't believe herself.

Decha and Sydney leave the hospital but not before they take test so as to determine if any of them is a promising match. while at home Decha tries his best to reach out to family and friends in Kenya to see if anyone can be willing to take the test and save his wife. luckily some of his their friends and Norah relatives agree to take the test. Fortunately enough one of Norah's second cousin Mercy is found to be a match.

Their happiness is cut short when Mercy says she doesn't have the courage to go under the knife to save Norah's life. Decha starts looking for more people who could be willing to gift his wife life. A week later Mercy gets back to them but this time asking for money in return a sum amounting to 15 million Kenyan shillings. Demanding that the deal is for them to deposit half of the amount before the surgery and the other after the surgery. Although hesitant at first Decha agrees to this since its the only way he will be able to save his wife. He promises to deposit the first half once all the other test are done a process that takes four months and the other half immediately after surgery. 

Mr. Kittisak Wongsuwan, the father to Decha decides to retire and he starts to pressure Decha to travel back to Thailand and take over the family business. Pointing out the fact that his son Niran, 19yrs old, who is about to join university needs his guidance as a father. This adds more pressure on Decha he can't abandon his wife in the hospital and he can't disobey his father. Positioned in between a rock and a hard place, Norah suggests that Decha should travel back together with Sydney and since her surgery is to be done in India she will move to Thailand after recovering. Norah does this to ease the pressure on Decha and also to hold together the relationship between him and his father. Mr. Kittisak has never accepted the marriage between the two and she didn't want Decha to have more issues with his dad. Letting Sydney go with Decha this is so that incase things don't go well Sydney will be safe and caring hands as she doesn't trust most of her family members enough to take care of her. 

Since Sydney had just Finished high school and her Kenya certificate of secondary education (K.C.S.E) exams results were out, Decha started looking for a university in Thailand for her to join. She successfully gets an admission to East Star university on of the best university in communication, music, performing arts and business courses. Sydney's dream career is cinematography.

Two weeks later Norah if flown to India for the surgery while Decha and Sydney fly to Thailand. Where a new world awaits.