Chapter 9: chapter 9

My husband called for a lab attendant immediately. The boy took her respiratory sample with a nasal swab for the detection of the virus and she tested positive. As she was suffering for many days, she was in the stage of recovery considering the percentage detected. My father-in-law had his test the other day. By God's grace, his report was negative. My mother-in-law remained isolated in her room. She refused to wear a mask complaining that it chokes her mouth, making her difficult to breathe. So, we had to walk with our masks all through the day. I sanitized all the rooms and washrooms daily. I didn't let my housekeeper enter her room. I did the sweeping and mopping myself. I washed her utensils separately. I offered her lukewarm water to drink and boiled water to inhale the steam. I carried on the additional tasks respectfully. My mother-in-law showcased mood swings. She appeared depressive complaining about the ailment and bland food. The medicines that were administered were hard and oppressive but she had to swallow them for quick recovery. Sometimes, she asked for food and slept with the food lying on the table. My father-in-law would reprimand me for not waking her up in time, ignoring my pleas. He never let her sleep without eating. He took great care of her and did all that he can. He brought fresh fruits and juices and whatever she demanded. He made sure she took her medicines in time. After returning from the shop, the first thing he would do was to enquire about her health. Once I forgot to throw her leftover food. He went with the plate to throw her leftover outside. My husband came to be disgruntled on seeing this. He asserted, "Papa, I have asked you to be cautious. You are prone to catch the infection owing to your heart conditions. Please stay away from her, for the sake of all of us. You can see how challenging it is to have a covid patient at home. It's a matter of only one week now. She will be fine. We are there to look after her. " My father-in-law slept with my kids. It was evident from his face that he missed the comfort of his bedroom. He was a heart patient who had survived two heart attacks, so we had to be extra cautious. Within a week she recovered completely and started going to her shop. We could fathom the happiness on her face. My in-laws always remained together for the past fifteen years since my mother-in-law started her tailoring business in the market shop. They woke together, performed their ablutions, went downstairs for offering water to the tulsi plant, chanted their morning prayers, consumed their breakfast and left for the shop together. My father-in-law owned a watch shop. Both the shops are located side by side. He came for lunch in the afternoon and took her tiffin. Sometimes, a staff member would carry their tiffin. They came back home in the night, had their evening tea followed by dinner and went off to sleep after discussing their business ordeals. They were leading a satisfied life having completed fifty years of marital bliss. My father-in-law had gifted a gold chain to his wife and my mother-in-law had gifted a golden ring to her husband on their golden jubilee celebration. The onlookers had admired their love and well build physique. My father-in-law was tall, and fair, possessing strongly built bones and muscles. He could easily lift heavy loads before his cardiac arrest. The doctors had restricted him not to do any tough job after he had been operated on. Their love, care and respect for one another were condemnable.