Riya stepped off the crowded bus onto the dusty roadway, relieved to get away from the bustle of the bus ride and the market stalls.

She was tired but she was also quietly excited and full of anticipation for the return this evening of Varun, her husband, after two months working away in Dubai on an engineering project. He was well known in the field. He spent many months away at various projects, mostly in the Middle East but also as far away as Australia, and even sometimes home in India.