The Lunchtime (a short story based on chartered accountants)

It was a typical cold January morning in Delhi, but Gunjan Sehgal and her parents were tense, constantly refreshing the ICAI results site. Gunjan was eagerly awaiting her CA Final results.

Around 11 AM, the results were released. Gunjan was in disbelief and screamed at the top of her lungs, "Mummy, Papa, I’m a CA now!" Tears of joy filled the room.

Gunjan's mother immediately began sharing the good news with relatives over phone calls. One of these calls was to Rathi Aunty, whose son was a practicing CA in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Mrs. Smita Rathi took the opportunity to congratulate Gunjan and also propose a wedding between her son, Shreyas Rathi, and Gunjan.

The Rathis and Sehgals were close family friends, and Gunjan’s parents had already considered Shreyas a potential match for Gunjan since he had qualified his CA exams two years ago. They were waiting for the right moment to discuss it, and to their surprise, the Rathis proposed first.

Gunjan’s mother shared the proposal news with Mr. Sehgal, who was delighted. However, Gunjan's expression changed as the celebration of her personal achievement turned into a discussion about her marriage. She hadn't expected her moment of joy to be so short-lived.

Discussions began between the two families, and within a month, it was decided that the wedding would take place three months later. Neither Gunjan nor Shreyas were asked for their opinions on the arrangement, as both families assumed they knew each other well enough, having been childhood friends when both families lived in Delhi.

Shreyas, a partner in his father's firm, was happy with the news as he had always liked Gunjan. However, Gunjan wanted to work for a few years before getting married. She shared her intentions with her parents, but they urged her to honor their promise to Shreyas’s parents. Reluctantly, Gunjan agreed, not wanting to hurt her parents who had made many sacrifices for her career.

Six months later, Gunjan and Shreyas got married, and she moved to Dehradun with Shreyas and his parents.

On Shreyas’s first day back at the office after the wedding, his mother asked Gunjan to prepare Shreyas’s favorite 'Gajar ka halwa' for his lunchbox. Shreyas left for the office with his father, and they both started working on their assignments upon arrival. At noon, during lunchtime, Shreyas and his father had their usual practice of eating together in his father's cabin, discussing personal and professional matters.

During lunch, Shreyas’s father suggested that they ask Gunjan to join their firm. Shreyas agreed it was a good idea and took a bite of the 'Gajar ka halwa'. He immediately noticed it tasted different from his father's. Curious, he put the halwa back into the tiffin jar.

Upon arriving home, Shreyas went directly to his bedroom in search of Gunjan, holding the tiffin jar. Gunjan felt bad seeing the halwa still left in his tiffin and asked, "Was it not good?"

Shreyas replied, "It's very good. From the first taste, I knew you had made it. When I first saw my mom making this as a child, I didn’t want to have it, thinking it wouldn’t taste good. But when she fed me with her hands, I fell in love with it, not just because it tasted good, but because of the love and joy in her eyes. Since you made it for the first time for me, I kept it back because I wanted to be fed by you, Gunjan."

Gunjan loved this romantic gesture, and it made her emotional.

After their conversation, Gunjan, in a low voice, said she wanted to share something with Shreyas. He encouraged her to continue. Gunjan said, "I received an offer letter from Reliance Jio yesterday. The posting is in Mumbai, and it’s my dream company. I want to work, Shreyas."

Shreyas listened and suddenly left the room without replying. Gunjan felt she might have upset him by expressing her desire to work.

During dinner, the Rathi family sat at the dining table. Gunjan’s father-in-law brought up the topic and asked Gunjan to join their firm. Gunjan, with a tense face, remained silent, unable to refuse her father-in-law.

Shreyas confidently spoke, "There’s no need for her to join the firm. She is leaving for Mumbai."

Mr. Ajay Rathi, surprised, asked, "Mumbai? What for?"

Shreyas replied, "For a job. It’s her dream company."

Mr. Rathi exclaimed, "What? No woman in our family has ever taken up a job post-marriage. She wants to work alone in a new city? What’s wrong with joining our firm and helping us?"

Shreyas responded, "Dad, it’s about her dreams, her life goals, her choices. We can’t kill them just because she’s married now. She knows her responsibilities but also has a life of her own. I support what she wants."

Gunjan, in tears, felt immense gratitude and love for Shreyas, who not only stood up for her but also supported her dreams, something she had never had the courage to do herself.