It seemed like ten years and not two. Her clothes fit her, but tugged at the corners just a little. With a sigh, she thought of the long way she still had to go at losing some of the weight gained.
Looking back at her was a tired face in the mirror. A little more pink on the cheeks ought to do it, she thought.
Getting ready was taking forever for Alia, a habit she had quite forgotten. The pandemic had added to the maternity leave and made it an extremely long period to be indoors. As a new mother, she had tons of insecurities – about her body and capabilities. But post pandemic was an entirely new kind of ordeal. Nothing felt sure anymore. Alia’s mental health had taken a hit.
As she left for the office, her first time in two years, she was flooded with thoughts. What if they had unwillingly agreed to hire her, what if the baby did not cooperate with the nanny, what if she couldn’t work as effectively as she used to.
After breathing through a panic attack in the cab, she entered her workplace only to be warmly greeted by her new colleagues. A few came up to her and struck a conversation. One of them even wanted to see pictures of her baby. Alia was surprised at how much she had missed an office environment and talking to people with similar interests. Later, during lunch, her boss reassured her. “Please settle in at your own pace, we want you to return to work with love and not out of stress,” he said. She felt grateful.
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