Transcendental Love

Part 43

Dearest readers, thank you for waiting!

As she waited for Preeto to get her a cup of kadak ginger tea, Khushi's mind drifted back to the whirlwind that had been the past few weeks - marriage, moving to a new house, new people, that man!

She firmly believed that she was Devi Maiyya's favourite child because there was no other way, she could have gotten so lucky with her in-laws. Ratna Maa was almost like a second mother to her. There was no point in being like the TV serial heroines and claiming that she was like her mother because honestly no one could be like Garima Gupta! Ratna Maa was a mother to her in her own unique way.

And then there was Manorama Chachi who despite her complete disregard for any sense of colour, was such a pure-hearted person. Earlier today morning when she had asked Khushi about her lunch box, Khushi had somehow managed to overlook the brightness of colours that was Manorama and give her a full-fledged KKG smile. The Raizada clan had truly helped her adapt surprisingly quickly to a new home.

Her husband was another matter. Khushi was not sure what to make of it. She liked his casual flirting and his careful touches. But she was also not ready to move beyond that - not now at least! What shocked her was that she had expected herself to recoil at his touch just like she had whenever anyone of the opposite gender touched her, no matter how fleeting or cursory. She absolutely hated being touched by men. It was hilarious that her clients thought that she was a traditional woman when she greeted them with 'Namaste's instead of handshakes.

Getting married had made her realize just how many things she had been doing unconsciously over the course of many years that was the cause of her PTSD. This change in house had put her in a different environment and for the first time she was realizing that she had somehow adapted things to hide her fear in her own house and covered it up with some logical crap. Her fear of darkness had been masked by her need for a luminous night light when sleeping - because she was a reader who loved to read herself to sleep! She preferred to go out in a hat to save herself from getting the sun; or was it to minimize the male glances directed her way?

The sight of that man in the party was another story altogether! Her husband was truly commendable for the way he had handled things that day.

And that man.

She just treated her past as something which was a wound covered in a band aid. Do not see it and pretend it doesn't exist was her motto in surviving all these years, Khushi sighed deeply.

"Here, Mrs. Raizada.", Preeto grinned giving her the mug.

"Thanks Ms. Jaiswal. Now please update me on the office gossip.", Khushi smiled back, all thoughts of her past receding in her eyes.

"These are the summary files of the past weeks that you were on leave. Nothing much has happened but your brother has been a pain in the ass ever since he lost the Sheesh Mahal deal to your husband *wink*. The fact that everyone was eagerly waiting for you to be back in office also added salt to the injury."