title: The Unexpected Son
author:  Shobhan Bantwal 
description: A shocking letter from India sends middle-aged Vinita Patil reeling in Bantwal's (The Dowry Bride) absorbing latest. Living in New Jersey, contentedly married for almost 25 years to Girish, a mechanical engineer with whom she has a daughter, Vinita learns that the illegitimate child she believed was stillborn in India, is alive, suffering from myeloid leukemia, and desperately in need of a bone marrow transplant. Vinita's brother, Vishal, who'd orchestrated the deception and arranged for the baby's adoption, fesses up that Vinta's son, Rohit Barve, is a chemistry professor at Shivraj College, the college where Vinita met Rohit's playboy father, Som Kori, who'd refused to marry her. Vinita and Som's coming from different linguistic groups vying for control of the border town of Palagum, made their union impossible. After Vinita finally meets her grown son, she's disturbed to learn that Som and Rohit's adoptive father are still embroiled in the violent territorial conflict, a situation that adds suspense to the story. This inspiring testament to a mother's enduring love makes for a fascinating tale and provides a window into an equally fascinating culture. <br />Copyright  Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
zlib_text: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## III
  
  
  
  
  
  GWALCHMAI LISTENED AS Agwaine planned the downfall of the lowlander. Around
  the Hunt Lord's son, in a wide circle, sat fifteen other youngsters - the sons
  of councilmen, who would one day be councillors themselves. They listened as
  Agwaine spoke, and offered no objections. Gwalchmai wasn't happy with such
  conversation. An orphan child of the mountains, he knew what loneliness was,
  the pain it brought, and the inner chill. He had always been popular, but then
  he worked at it - jesting and joking, seeking approval from his peers. He ran
  errands for the older boys, always willing to help in any chore, but in his
  heart his fears were great. His father had died when he was seven - killed
  while poaching Pallides lands. His mother contracted lung fever the following
  year and her passing had been painful. Little Gwalchmai had been sent to live
  with Badraig and his son, and they had made him welcome. But Gwalchmai had
  loved his parents deeply, and their