A Suitor for the Princess - Chapter 37

                  When she opened her eyes after a while, Norman was standing in front of her. She closed her eyes quickly and opened them again to see whether it really was Norman. Bewildered, she pinched herself. Had she really gone nuts? She panicked as Norman reached out for her and promptly fainted at his touch. When she came to, it was 12 noon. Still she could see Norman pottering about the house, tidying up things and humming to himself. She looked at her transparent nightie and suddenly felt shy and awkward. He had seen her like that! Did he like what he saw? She blushed furiously just as he whirled around to look straight into her eyes. His amused expression didn’t escape her notice and she shyly lowered her eyes.

                  “When did you come, Norman? Rather, how did you come so suddenly? As you saw, I was quite taken aback.” she said evenly.

                   “Yes,” he laughed, “So taken aback that you fainted in my arms. Am I so ugly?”

                    Now she looked at him coolly, as if assessing him and said softly, “On the contrary, you are the most gorgeous hunk I have ever come across. Maybe that was why I swooned!”

                    In a jiffy, he reached her and kissed her soundly on her lips, reveling in the soft sweetness of her mouth and her luscious body. She pushed him aside, protesting, “But I haven’t even brushed, Juan!” He stiffened, as he heard that name and looked at her questioningly. “Come again?” he queried. “I said that I haven’t yet brushed, Norman.” “But you said “Juan” not “Norman” earlier,” he insisted. “Oh, did I? I’m sorry but I’m just out of sorts these days. I’m sure that your dear friend Arnold has briefed you about my condition. As she looked at him miserably, he gathered her in his arms and held her close to comfort her. He felt what she was going through. “Don’t you worry, dear! We are in this together. Let’s just forget about your goof-up, O.K.?” he asked as he could see the tears that threatened to fall down from her lovely eyes. They looked like a river in spate. She gulped and muttered her “Yes”.

                   Then, as if remembering something, she inquired, “How come you have come here today, Norman? Aren’t you supposed to be staying with your ex-wife? Is she all right now?”

                   He regained his humor as he said, “I have currently left Nancy in charge of a full-time nurse. I came here to see you Martha. I’ve been missing you a lot. I’ve been worried sick about you. I’ve come here to acquaint you with the routine of my office and introduce you to my staff and other business contacts, so that you may take over its functioning as far as the literary requirements go. You will be editing the final manuscripts of all the writings that are approved for publication, by my trusted aide, John D’ Costa.

                   I hope that you are up to the challenge, my dear. He’s a tough nut to crack. He’s a stickler for accuracy in the final manuscript. You’ll have to work cordially in tandem with the author, the proof-readers and sub-editors and the formidable John D’ Costa. Her eyes brightened as she said with determination in her eyes. “I love challenges Norman. John D’ Costa, here I come!” As she made an action resembling an aeroplane taking off, with a soft whistle, Norman chuckled and said “That’s like a good girl!”

                 After having a lunch of Chinese noodles and salad that Norman had prepared, both of them went to town. As Norman drove, she observed him through the corner of her eyes. Not bad. Good-looking. Caring. Affectionate. Dependable. Solid husband material! But why wasn’t she elated? Something was missing in him. She couldn’t pinpoint it. Was she expecting more than she deserved? Was he too regular for her liking? Then she realized with a start that the chemistry was sorely missing! She didn’t want him! She didn’t love him!

                 As that thought struck her like a bolt from the blue, she hastily looked out of the window. She didn’t want Norman to guess her feelings. He’d surely have felt as if she was ungrateful, especially after the lengths that he had gone to, to make her comfortable and well. She decided to just take things one at a time and not ponder over her life-partner too much, as she really wanted to become mentally strong again. Love could wait!

                  When they reached his office, Martha had a ‘panic’ attack thinking about his secretary. Her palms turned clammy and she desperately held on to Norman’s elbow, pleading with him that she felt unwell and wanted to return home. He just ignored her and nudged her gently into his office. When they learned that the secretary was out on some official work, she relaxed. Norman led her to the various departments of his enterprise, describing them as they walked along, simultaneously introducing her to the people working there and who would in future be her colleagues. She liked them all.

                   The flirty Susan who proof-read texts; with a red-haired fringe and a naughty smile; the reticent Harry who barely acknowledged her presence, who was the senior sub-editor, who probably resented her already, the smart Rex, an office-assistant who multi-tasked several odd jobs all the time, with a pleasing smile on his freckled red face; the junior sub-editors, June, Sandy and Alex and the marketing personnel, savvy, formally dressed Hutch, Barry and Cynthia; all of whom welcomed her warmly.

                   All of them were astute enough to realize that she was the one who was probably going to marry the Boss, judging by the possessive way in which Norman held her, with his arm around her shoulders or around her waist. It was ages since he had flaunted a gal, they mused. This elegant lady appeared to for keeps! They had all seen her earlier whenever they had chanced upon her during her visits to the office to submit her contributions for the magazine. They had never really progressed beyond the usual niceties of “Hi” and “Bye”, each being busy with his/her routine. Besides, Martha had been aloof but nice, with a “touch-me-not” demeanor which automatically kept everyone at arm's length. She had always appeared unapproachable.

To be continued....  

The copyright of this novel is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.

A Suitor for the Princess - Chapter 36

        When he reached his house, he saw Anne pacing the hall like a prowling tiger.  She all but snarled when she saw him venomously.  If looks could kill, literally, he’d have been in heaven then, realized Arnold.  She was furious because she had phoned Arnold’s office and been told by the receptionist there that he had left office at 12 noon itself.

        “How convenient for you Arnold!  Keeping a wife and a mistress happy at the same time doesn’t appear to fag you at all!  In fact, I must say that it is doing you a world of good.  Look at your flushed face.  You are looking quite dashing and young, Arnie.  You must be deeply in love with that writer friend of yours, for you to be looking so fresh and youthful……….” she fumed.

        “Stop it Anne.  Have you gone out of your senses?  I had taken her to a psychiatrist for counseling.  She has a problem.  A severe one at that!  If you’d care to listen, I can tell you all about it.  If not, I’ve nothing to say, except that suspicion leads to the ruin of many solid marriages.  Don’t throw it all away by doing that or else you’ll have no one else except yourself to blame if things go drastically wrong between us in future!”

        “Psychiatrist-my foot!  By the way, I must grant you full marks for your innovative excuse for your impromptu outing.  Couldn’t you’ve at least informed me about it?  Don’t tell me that you didn’t have any time for that!  Even a message from your cell-phone would’ve sufficed.  But I understand that you were too busy tending to that special friend of yours, to even remember that you are married and have a wife!”  She said sarcastically.   

        When she saw Arnold’s pained expression, she softened a little and asked him, “O.K. tell me what’s wrong with her.  Let me see if I can sympathize with her plight!”

        After an early dinner, that included her favorite dessert of custard, which Arnold had prepared to appease Anne; both of them settled in their bed comfortably.  Both were in their night clothes.  Arnold in his pajamas and Anne in her pale yellow silk nightie.

        Arnold pulled her into his embrace, held her head on his chest and started narrating Martha’s strange tale of woe.  At the end, he could see that Anne was crying.  She kept wiping away her tears again and again.  Very softly, she murmured, “I’m sorry Arnie.  I’ve been very stupid and unjust.  I can now see why you’re so anxious to help your best friend’s fiancée.  Please forgive me, will you?”

        When Arnie saw the sincerity in her dark eyes glistening with tears, his heart went out to her and he kissed her as he said, “Yes, my dear!”  The storm that had clouded their easy-going relationship abated with both of them reaching an understanding about the priorities of their married life.  Trust was the golden key to a secure relationship. 

       Arnold vowed to keep Anne in the loop about his activities to avoid any further misunderstandings in the future.  In fact, he knew that he’d have reacted in just as volatile a manner, as Anne, if he’d found that she’d sneaked out with some partner for a seeming rendezvous! Anne too promised to be more trusting and less short-tempered to maintain peace in their loving world.

 *****************************************************************************

              That night, Martha couldn’t stop thinking about Dr. Benedict Hussey. His sharp sense of dressing, his polite and no-nonsense demeanor and his succinct assessment about her mental condition had impressed her deeply. She felt as if she absorbed his strength in his presence. Why, even then as she lay on her bed, thinking about him, she could feel his energy permeating the room and seeping into her insidiously. She felt refreshed and rejuvenated. She enthusiastically decided to get up and start writing, but changed her mind when she remembered how he had asked her to refrain from writing for a while. But would the protagonists of her novel have the patience for her to become well again? Well, they would just have to take a break while she took hers!

               Through her sleep, she saw images of the ailing Sara, moaning in her sleep, Juan mooning over the memory of the beautiful and dutiful Myara, the worried King and his Minister and the scheming mother of Juan. When she woke up in the morning at 8 a.m. she realized that she had overslept and groaned. Then when she saw the huge double-bed, covered by a satin coverlet and fluffy canopy curtains surrounding her, she pinched herself. She was in Regina in the palace. On the Princess Sara’s bed! Her mother, the Queen, lay fast asleep on a nearby couch. She had probably dozed off there when she had stayed there, tending to her needs at night.

                Martha couldn’t believe her eyes. Was she really in Regina? If so, how had she got there? Was she Sara? She was utterly confused and scared. Was she hallucinating? She got up gingerly and went to the Queen. She decided to touch her and wake her up to see whether things were for real in that room. As she tiptoed to the couch, she caught a glimpse of herself in the dressing mirror. Her blonde mane swayed about her lovely face, blue-grey eyes stared back at her dazed, her white silk gown swished around her waist. Sara? Martha?

                 As she tried to rouse her mother, her hands just waved in the air. There was no one on that couch. Deliberately, she sat with a thump on that couch, just to be doubly sure! She sank in. Then she closed her eyes and said her prayers. “God, if this is an illusion, let it pass. If you really want to show me someone please show me Norman. I’ll be really grateful to you!”

To be continued....

The copyright of this novel is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.

A Suitor for the Princess - Chapter 35

        She eyed her pen warily. What a formidable weapon it was!  So powerful!  It could make or break her protagonists' worlds.  On second thoughts, it was her fertile imagination at work.  Well then, if it was really so capable of conjuring images and events, why couldn’t it envisage even a shred of what her lover Norman looked like?  Why was it utterly quiet on that front?  Surely her personal life merited its attention too?

        That question brought her back to Arnold.  They were to visit the psychiatrist the next day.  She shivered in anticipation of the visit.  This would be her first visit to a ‘shrink’ as people often jokingly referred to a psychiatrist.  Would her sessions with him reveal any insight into the vagueness of her memory and dredge memories about Norman? If so, how soon? 

        She wondered about when Norman would be able to join her and whether his ex-wife Nancy would recover from her fatal illness.  She said a quick prayer to heal Nancy as quickly as possible or to at least make life pleasant for her in her last moments, if at all, she was destined to die soon!  She felt great empathy for that unknown lady.  She even admired Norman for being such a sensitive human being.

        Imagine leaving all your current responsibilities for an ex-wife whom one had not even seen since 20-25 years.  She doffed her hat off to him, mentally.  Yes, surely he was a fine person and she couldn’t wait to meet him.  She decided to call him the next day in the evening, after her return from the psychiatrist’s office.  Surely nothing could prevent her from reaching out to him! 

        She laughed as she realized that she could’ve done it earlier too.  But she guessed that every thing had a time and place, pre-destined in life.  She felt very light-hearted and happy and decided to turn in for the night in that relaxed state of mind.  She slept very peacefully that night; the last thought before sleep took over being, things would get sorted out nicely in the coming days.  She had no cause to worry!

        The next day she woke up, bright and fresh.  She dressed up in a grey and pink flower-patterned dress, gathered all her hair to one side, so that it fell behind her right ear, wore dainty pink pearls in her ears, sprayed a mild perfume on and hummed a pleasant tune as she did her chores and waited for Arnold.  She didn’t feel as though she was going to visit a psychiatrist.  She felt as if she was going out on a date.  It was ridiculous but true.  She had made a light lunch of salmon sandwiches, salad and dessert of rich chocolate pudding (her secret recipe); for both of them. 

        When he came in at 12.30 p.m., he sniffed appreciatively, complimented her effusively about her graceful attire (till she blushed) and ate with her, conversing wittily about this and that, till it was time to leave.

        When she sat beside him in his car, he saw a slightly nervous look in her blue-grey eyes and placed his hand over hers, before starting to drive.  She saw a calm confidence in his eyes coupled with affection and she relaxed and started enjoying the long 2 hour drive.

        Dr. Benedict Hussey was a tiny man of around 5 feet 2 inches, with a goatee that he kept touching as he talked in a clipped, yet unhurried tone.  He was soft-spoken, yet firm in his manner; just as a psychiatrist should be, thought Martha.  He ‘looked’ experienced and capable.  She was confident that he could be her confidante! 

        When he had clasped her hand firmly with his small palm in a handshake, she had been astonished at its strength, which was very surprising for a man of his build.  His sharp, piercing dark eyes had looked straight into her blue-grey ones, unflinching and meaning business. Boy, was Martha glad that Arnold had called him up the previous day and apologized for cancelling their appointment!  Dr. Hussey looked like a man who’d not like to be messed with.  She was sure that he’d brook no nonsense. 

        When he politely asked Arnold to wait outside and urged her gently to relax in her couch, she realized that she had started imagining him like one of the characters of her stories.  Here he was the boss!  She did as he told her to!  She’d have to be obedient for a change!

        She marveled at the softness of the couch.  She already felt sleepy.  As she closed her eyes slightly, Dr. Hussey started speaking.  “Ms. Peterson, you may relax, but not sleep!  We’ve to talk.  Can I hear about your problem please?”

        Martha jerked herself awake and started narrating the instances when she had forgotten about her present or mistaken someone for someone else and her confusion regarding people, lastly her complete inability to recollect her beau, Norman.

        Through her entire narration, the tiny doctor sat as still as a statue, keenly observing and listening, noting points and appearing like a sponge that soaked up all the moisture and still sat upright.  When she had nothing more to say, she fell silent, fascinated by the small and competent-looking man in front of her.  She wondered how he was going to help her but instinctively knew that he would!  He appeared to be one of those persons whom you could trust your life with!  Dependable and reliable!

        “May I suggest Ms. Peterson that your case is a common one?  Such forgetfulness often happens with people who are overworked or who multi-task to save time.  For starters, I’d suggest that you go slow with your rigid routine and involve yourself in outdoor exercises and games and be more sociable.  Loneliness can kill!  Ask me.  I feel lonely when I’m at home.  I’m happy only when I’m helping my patients.  They are my family and all that I have.  Now you are a part of my family too.  Ah, yes, please stop writing that novel of yours, for some months.  In fact, stop writing for some days and come into the real world for a change.  I’m sure that it’ll do wonders for you!”

        Martha and Arnold left the clinic in a positive frame of mind, joking and laughing like true buddies.  Arnold urged her to have coffee and pastries at a nearby cafe and then left her home.

To be continued..... 

The copyright of this novel is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.

A Suitor for the Princess - Chapter 34

       The King asked Juan to stay away from Sara for a few days till she became fully all right, so as to not be the cause of any further trauma to her.  As the agonizing days went by slowly, Juan took care of his ailing mother, who was delirious with joy on seeing him again; and nursed her to good health again.  He then informed her about all that he had undergone in the past few years.  Several times through that detailed narration, her eyes welled up with pride, happiness and sorrow in turns.  It was as if she had gone through all his trials and tribulations. For Juan, it was a cathartic experience, one that he had really needed.  He felt as if he was at the crossroads of life again, just as he had been, when he had first set off for Regina, to participate in the contest to win the fair Princess’ hand!  Little had he known then, that destiny would test him such a lot.  He had failed the King’s test, much to his dismay, won over the hearts of not just one, but 2 beautiful damsels and undergone a personal transformation at the shrine!  The last experience belied words.

        He had lived in an enchanted and secluded world filled with peace and contentment for 3 whole years and had lost all desire for material wealth and accomplishment of any kind!  He didn’t want to marry the Princess now, he didn’t want to Lord over Regina as a King and neither hankered for wealth, power or prestige.  All that he wanted now was to go back to his humble abode with the 2 women he loved most in the world now; his mother and Myara.  But he realized that it was easier said than done.  He now had an even more grueling test in store for him. 

        He had to convince Myara of his intentions, politely tell off the King and escape from the wantonness of the ailing Princess Sara who had set her heart on making him hers, like a coveted toy.  Really, how long could her fascination with him last, he wondered!  After all, rich kids were never short of supply of toys to amuse and entertain them; which they discarded callously, once their fancy faded, like the moon giving way to the sun in the mornings!

        Yes, Sara was obsessed with him, but wasn’t the King too, considering that he had requested him to stay there till the Princess fully recovered, which could be, no one knew when!  Had he escaped one prison to land up in another?  The difference being; from austerity to royalty!

        Would he never be able to live a life on his own terms?  He felt frustrated and miserable. 

        His mother on the other hand, was very happy to live in comfortable surroundings for a change.  Here she didn’t have to worry about where their next meal would come from, nor slog endlessly without reprieve.  She secretly hoped that her son would marry Sara one day and become the King of Regina.  She was just being a normal mother, who desired simply the very best for her only son.

        Juan had confided in her, his dilemma over Myara’s refusal to accept his love and his desire to settle down in his village again.  But his ambitious mother nursed ambitions to see him rule over the Kingdom and desired to be known all over, as the King’s mother!  She didn’t desire luxury; she only wanted her son to be an achiever.  Having nearly reached his goal, she considered it stupid on his part to want to throw it all away.  She didn’t want his ordeal of the past few years to go in vain!      

        She had tried to reason it out with Juan, only to be met with a stubborn silence.  He wouldn’t even talk back to her; she knew that and just ended up raving, ranting, wailing and cursing their destiny!

        She was grateful to Myara for bringing her son back from that place of no return, the shrine, but resented her for ‘ensnaring’ her son in return! She wanted him to live a life of luxury after all the struggle and hardship that he had suffered in his childhood.  She decided to persuade Myara to reject Juan and extricate herself from his future life.

        One day, she went to Myara’s house.  Myara was pleased to see her; “Sit down mother.  I’m happy to see that you’ve become fit and strong now.  I’m sure that seeing your long-lost son has given you the impetus to become well again.  What will you have?”

        “My son!” said Juan’s mother.

        “Excuse me?” inquired Myara, shocked.

        “You heard it right.  I want my son back.  Please don’t give him the idea that you desire him, if you want him to succeed in life.  If you are his true well-wisher, you’ll do as I say.  I’ll be always grateful to you for bringing me here and re-uniting me with my son, but he’s destined for bigger things in life.  Please let him marry Sara and become the King of Regina.  You may consider me to be selfish, but if a mother’s best wishes for her only son are selfish, so be it.  I don’t care what anyone thinks about me.  But promise me that you’ll din good sense into him.”

        Through the tears that threatened to blind her, Myara said “I promise, on Juan’s life since I love him so much. Trust me; I’ll never go back on my word.  I’ll do all I can, to make him marry Sara.”

        “I’m sorry,” said Juan’s mother with tears coursing down her cheeks.  Yes Myara was truly a noble girl.  Brave, kind and generous.  Why she couldn’t have been Sara, she thought as she made her way home, at peace with herself.

        As she wrote that sentence, Martha felt very annoyed with herself.  She had indeed promised Sara that she’d unite her with Juan, but she hadn’t even imagined that she’d have to break the stoic Myara’s heart for that purpose!  She (Martha) had become the vamp in that love story.  Even then, as an author, she was amazed at the way her story was proceeding at break-neck pace, with sudden twists in the plot and never-ending intrigue.  She put down her pen, sat back in her chair and wondered how her story would finally end!

To be continued.... 

The copyright of this novel is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.