Since childhood, I have had a cold allergy.
Even a little exposure to cold makes me sick. And once I catch a cold, fever, sneezing, coughing, headaches, and pain in my hands and feet follow.
Yesterday morning, ice was applied to my head for quite some time.
Perhaps that’s why my nose and mouth have been blocked since last night due to the cold.
I also have a high fever.
In the morning, Ferdous brought a village doctor to check on me. The doctor prescribed some medicine, which I have been taking.
Today is our wedding reception, so I didn’t want to go to a city doctor myself.
After all, so many guests have been invited today, and the only reason they are coming is because of me!
If I am not present, it would look very inappropriate.
Ferdous was quite upset with me for not going to the doctor.
After the reception, my parents insisted on taking us home with them today.
But my mother-in-law strongly objected.
She said, “The girl is now just as much ours as she is yours.
We brought her home in perfect health, and now she has fallen sick.
It is our responsibility to take care of her and nurse her back to health.
Until we can fully restore her health, she will not be leaving under any circumstances.”
However, since she is part of both families, the final decision rests with her on where she wants to stay.
My sister-in-law said, “Come on, Mina, we’re leaving tomorrow. Who knows when we’ll be back in the village again?
At least spend this one last day with us.”
I understand everyone’s perspective, but there’s nothing I can do.
A mother-in-law as kind and pure-hearted as mine is extremely rare these days!
In a time when daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law are constantly at odds,
when they see each other as enemies,
my mother-in-law loves me more than her own daughter!
I could never have the audacity to go against her wishes.
I told my parents, “You should go back this time.
Once I feel a little better, I will visit you with my father-in-law and mother-in-law.”
That was the final decision.
My family said their goodbyes to everyone and left for home.
Ferdous and I walked quite a distance to see them off.
As night fell, my condition worsened.
It was such a time of night that finding a good doctor was impossible.
I rarely fall ill.
But when I do, I get so sick that it troubles everyone around me!
Almost every time I fall ill, my mother ends up getting sick from taking care of me.
Since the evening, my fever has worsened.
My eyes and nose won’t stop watering.
Once I start sneezing, it doesn’t stop.
My hands and feet ache unbearably.
On top of that, my chest is making a whistling sound with each breath!
My breathing is becoming labored every few moments.
In short, I feel like I’m suffocating!
Ferdous is growing increasingly anxious, seeing my condition.
Mother-in-law said, “Call an ambulance right now.
She needs to be taken to the hospital.”
When Ferdous reached for his phone to call an ambulance, I held his hand tightly.
“Please don’t worry so much; everything will be fine.”
But seeing that Mother-in-law wasn’t listening to me at all, I stubbornly insisted that I wouldn’t go anywhere so late at night.
In the end, Ferdous had no choice but to cancel the ambulance.
I may have refused the ambulance, but I was no longer able to fight against my body!
Breathing was becoming extremely difficult!
I continued taking the medicine given by the village doctor.
Meanwhile, Mother-in-law spent the entire night warming garlic oil and massaging my hands, feet, and chest every now and then.
She kept making tea with ginger, cloves, and bay leaves and feeding it to me.
Sometimes, she squeezed lemon juice into warm water and spoon-fed it to me.
When I writhed in pain, Ferdous asked, “Are your hands and feet cramping? Should I massage them, Mina?”
In my fevered haze, I must have mumbled “yes.”
Because enduring such pain has never been my strong suit.
From then on, Ferdous kept massaging my head, hands, and feet without pause.
Thanks to my husband’s and mother-in-law’s tireless efforts, I felt significantly better before morning.
The whistling in my chest had decreased considerably.
Breathing was no longer as painful as before.
At some point, I must have fallen asleep without realizing it!
When I woke up, it was already 12:40 PM!
Ferdous had cleaned the entire room, tidied everything up, and placed breakfast on the table.
He was sitting by my head, waiting for me to wake up.
As I stretched and sat up, my eyes landed on the wall clock.
“What? It’s already noon? Why didn’t you wake me up? What will everyone think?”
“It’s considered inauspicious for the lady of the house to wake up so late!”
“Oh, Ferdous, what are you doing?”
“No one will think anything.
Everyone knows how sick you are.
You scared us all last night!
Do you know, my mother even cried for you?”
“And you?”
Hearing my question, Ferdous turned red with embarrassment.
I could tell he was terribly worried.
As I was about to get out of bed, Ferdous stopped me.
“There’s no need to get up; I’ll bring your toothbrush.”
“Why? I’m much better now; I can handle such a small task myself.”
“Yes, you can. But Mother has ordered me not to let you do anything.
You need complete rest.”
“You and your mother are going to turn me into a completely lazy person!”
“Hmmm… If we must, we will.”
He fetched my toothbrush and handed it to me.
His bloodshot eyes made it clear he hadn’t slept a wink all night.
In today’s world, where countless relationships crumble due to a lack of care,
receiving such love feels like holding the moon in my hands!
Having a husband like Ferdous and a family like this makes me feel incredibly blessed!
After freshening up, Ferdous and I sat down to eat together.
Everyone else had finished their breakfast long ago—except for Ferdous.
Since I was asleep, he had asked them not to wake me.
He had waited to eat with me.
As we ate, Ferdous said, “Finish eating quickly and take a bath; warm water is ready.
You need to get ready soon.”
“We have a doctor’s appointment at 3 PM.”
“We have to leave in an hour.”
I asked, “Doctor? For what?”
“What do you mean, for what?
Mina, you’re sick. You need to see a doctor.”
“No, I don’t need a doctor.
I’ll recover on my own.
With a husband like you and a caregiver like Mother-in-law, what could a doctor possibly do?”
“I’m not going anywhere. Call and cancel the appointment.”
To be honest, excluding Friday and Saturday, Ferdous had only three days of leave.
One day was already gone. Only two remained.
In such a short time, I didn’t want him running around unnecessarily.
Instead, I wanted to spend some quality time at home with everyone.
Ferdous was unwilling, but I convinced him.
The five days since stepping into Ferdous’s home felt like a dream!
Before I knew it, his leave was over.
I couldn’t bear to let him go.
The thought of being without him made my heart ache.
A strange emptiness filled my soul.
Perhaps this is what a husband-wife relationship is like.
One is incomplete without the other—completely alone!
