All The Love You Deserve: Preeti Shenoy Brings A Long-Distance Tale

The hopes and promises of a young love may make it seem like it will last forever. But after a seemingly amazing relationship between Puja and Arush abruptly ends, they are forced to overcome difficult times and set out to battle their individual challenges. Continuing the tale of her previously loved characters, Puja and Arush from the book When Love Came Calling, Preeti Shenoy brings a mature and relatable love story where our protagonists find themselves battling the difficulties of a post-pandemic world while facing profound changes, shifting dreams, and forgotten desires

Here's an excerpt from Preeti Shenoy's All The Love You Deserve

A long time back, at art school—it feels like eons ago—Jenna had told me, ‘You know that Billy Ocean song, When the going gets tough, the tough get going? What makes more sense is when things get tough, the tough hide.’ She’d said it when she was going through a bad patch in her relationship with Josh. She’d kept putting off talking about the issues she had with him, because she wanted to be sure of what to say. 

Eventually she forgot about it and discovered it didn’t matter anymore. I had laughed about it then and teased her, but it makes sense now. That’s what I have been doing. Hiding. Simply because I don’t know how to face Puja. Or even Naomi for that matter.

After the last walking tour, which was awkward for me to say the least, I knew I couldn’t work with Naomi anymore. At least, not till I sorted whatever this was between us. I also knew there were escorted tours coming up to Scotland. I spoke to Olivia and told her I wanted to be shifted to the outstation tours. I said I was ready for the next challenge. Since I’d been getting great reviews for all the walking tours that I’d done in Birmingham, it helped my case tremendously. Olivia had said she would discuss it with Nik and get back to me. 

A day later Olivia asked if I could speak Hindi.

‘Of course! I can speak it well and I can speak Punjabi too,’ I’d said. As it so happened, the group that had booked the Scotland tour was from India. Olivia knew if I was the tour guide, we would get excellent reviews especially, as I could speak two Indian languages. This was an important group, because the revenues from international tours were much higher than the ones from local walking tours. Olivia said I could assist Harry Shaw who normally did these escorted tours with Sakshi Govind. But Sakshi had quit a few months before I’d joined and Brian Coley, her replacement, couldn’t speak any Indian language.

Olivia asked Brian if she could shift him to the Egypt tour. Brian jumped at the chance to go to Egypt, as he had never been there before. That was how I’d bagged this outstation tour.

The first leg of the tour is in London, from where the group will proceed to Scotland. For the past few days, I’ve been travelling with Harry Shaw, accompanying them all over London. The group consists of mostly middle-aged and elderly folks from India, including a few from Kerala as well. The elderly couple I am speaking to, Mrs and Mr Balachandran, are from Kochi. I chat with them about various places in India and what I loved about them. They are delighted to discover that not only have I visited Kerala but also know a lot about the state.

‘So, when are you visiting Kerala next?’ Mrs Balachandran asks.

‘Oh, I want to. I’ve got a five-year visa because I’d applied through my college, for educational and cultural purposes. I did a course in Kerala mural painting. My visa is valid for another two years.’

They are very impressed when they hear that. ‘Then you must make full use of that and come before it expires!’ Mrs Balachandran tells me.

Chatting with them about Kochi takes me back to a different point in my life. It makes me long for Puja. I miss talking to her. I know I should call her soon. But not just yet. I am too ashamed right now and I want to sort out my tangled feelings of confusion, anger and guilt. Fortunately, this group tour helps take my mind off it. There’s always so much to do. Harry is good to work with, and he has a good rapport with me. ‘Boy, am I glad you can speak the language. It helps a lot,’ he says as he watches me chatting up many of the folks in the group.

We travel all over London and take them to all the usual touristy places beginning with the Tower of London. They are impressed by one of Britain’s most iconic landmarks, which has been home to kings, traitors, bureaucrats and knights. It has witnessed many deaths and instances of treachery and cruelty, and yet been a constant part of London’s skyline. Harry explains all of this well. I’ve been here a couple of times before, so it is nothing new to me. Still, it is fun to hear Harry speak. We’ve been given detailed information booklets about all the attractions we will be taking the group to.

Excerpted with permission from All The Love You Deserve, authored by Preeti Shenoy, published by Westland.