Sunday Story- Luckiest in the World

It had only been four months since she had joined work, but Sarika had already become one of the top-performing UX designers of the design studio she worked for. She had moved mountains to land a job in the firm of her dreams, and once her dream had turned into a reality, she knew she had to put in all her blood, sweat, and tears to make a place and name for her. After months of always going the extra mile and giving her 110%, Sarika had finally managed to become a household name in the studio.

Sarika thought that had finally managed to reap the benefits of the seeds she had sown and was quite content with where she was in her career. She had been thinking to herself that things could not perhaps get any better than they already were when one day her manager informed to her utmost delight that the board had decided to offer her a promotion to a higher post at the headquarters of the firm before the usual completion-of-six-month clause owing to her extraordinary performance. So overjoyed was she about the promotion that she couldn't wait to go back home to share the news with her husband and mother-in-law.

On her way home, Sarika bought some of her mother-in-law's and husband's favourite sweets and drinks to celebrate the promotion with them. As soon as she reached, she immediately called for both of them into the living room to announce the big news. Both her mother-in-law and husband were overjoyed, especially her mother-in-law, who had always loved Sarika more than her own daughter. The three of them gorged on the sweets, ordered their favourite food, and spent the rest of the evening in merriment.

Later that night, as they were about to go to sleep, Sarika told her husband that in order for her to accept the promotion, they would have to move to a different city. Her husband did not immediately respond to this revelation. On being prompted by Sarika to give a response, he told her that they could discuss it the next morning. And Sarika immediately figured out that the discussion was not going to be an easy one.

While Sarika's mother-in-law was as excited about Sarika's promotion the next morning as she was the night before, her husband was quiet for most of the time. When Sarika tried to continue the discussion from where they had left it the previous night, her husband deferred it again, saying that he was getting late for office and that, unlike in some non-technical fields, his job was not a walk in the park. And with this, he drove away for work, leaving Sarika hurt and his mother dumbfounded.

A distraught Sarika narrated the discussion from the previous night to her mother-in-law who remained as dumbfounded as she was, if not more. While she was joining the pieces and trying to understand the aftermath of the situation, Sarika informed her that she was going to decline the promotion because she could neither ask her husband to leave his job nor could she move to a new city all alone now that she was married. Sarika had expected her mother-in-law to sympathise with her and assure her that she would find better opportunities in the future. But what she actually said was the last thing Sarika would have or could have expected from her.

Sarika's mother-in-law asked her to accept the promotion for she truly deserved it and told her that a promotion was a promotion, technical field or not. And as for her husband, it was his duty to support her wife in her career, and that if Sarika could leave her home and her previous job for him, he too could relocate for his wife.

Sarika's eyes were brimming with tears. It was not until that day that she realised how lucky she had actually been in her life with everything.

Liked this story? Here’s another one that would make you smile—A Mother-in-Law’s Gift!