The Long Wait for a Doctor
By Lokanath Mishra
The small town of Tirupati had a medicine shop that stood at the corner of the market, buzzing with customers throughout the day. The shopkeeper, Raghunath, had built it from scratch, and for years it had been his pride. Yet, there was one matter that occupied his mind far more than medicines, prescriptions, or customers—the marriage of his only daughter, Sunita.
For nearly ten years, Raghunath searched restlessly for a groom, not just any groom, but one who was a doctor. His obsession was peculiar to some, but he saw it as an assurance of prestige, security, and comfort. Matchmakers came and went, matrimonial sites were scrolled endlessly, alliances were proposed and rejected. Relatives grew weary of the wait, and one day, a cousin finally asked, “Why only a doctor, brother? Is no other groom acceptable to you?”
Raghunath’s answer was simple but firm: “I want a doctor for my daughter. Nothing else will do.”
Sunita too had absorbed her father’s conviction like scripture. “I will only marry a doctor,” she declared proudly to anyone who dared suggest otherwise. She was not a striking beauty, her complexion was dusky, and her grades were only average, though she had completed her B.A. and B.Ed. Failing to find her ‘doctor prince,’ she accepted a teaching job in Bangalore. There, in the classroom, she appeared modest and disciplined, yet in private conversations with relatives, her arrogance occasionally slipped through—her desires for a mansion, luxury cars, chauffeurs, and an elite lifestyle painted her as a dreamer, if not a gold-digger.
Years passed, and the dream of a doctor groom seemed more and more distant. Eventually, when Sunita turned thirty, her father agreed to consider a proposal for Vinod, a pharmacist working in Bangalore. The families met, profiles matched, phone numbers were exchanged, and Sunita and Vinod spoke over the phone. When Sunita traveled back to Tirupati, the families met in person and agreed to take the alliance forward. Engagement shopping began, jewelry was purchased, and wedding preparations seemed underway.
Then came the fateful day. Vinod’s family arrived at Sunita’s home, only to announce they wanted to cancel the marriage. Their reason left everyone dumbfounded.
The grandmother of the groom had sprained her leg while leaving home for the shopping trip. Sunita, meanwhile, had been delayed by heavy rains on her bus ride from Bangalore. To them, these were unmistakable omens—signs from God that the alliance was doomed. They withdrew without hesitation, leaving behind a stunned and humiliated household.
Sunita was heartbroken, but worse was yet to come. Soon after, another proposal came—this time from an Ayurvedic doctor’s family. The meeting was set at a temple. Sunita arrived with her parents, and on the groom’s side came his mother and the eldest daughter-in-law, known as Badi Bhabhi (BB), who carried herself with the authority of a matriarch.
The conversation began pleasantly.
“What’s your name?” asked the boy’s mother.
“Sunita,” she replied softly.
“Do you know cooking?” BB interjected.
“Yes.”
“Favorite dishes?”
“Kheer and mutton curry.”
BB smiled. “Those are my favorites too. Do you have hobbies?”
“I like painting and sewing.”
BB seemed satisfied. “And your education?”
“I completed my B.A. and B.Ed.”
“Excellent!” BB exclaimed. The boy’s mother nodded approvingly.
Then Sunita, with innocent curiosity, asked, “Are you a B.A too?” turning towards BB.
“Yes. I am a B.A, but I’ve done LLB as well,” BB replied with a proud tilt of her chin.
The conversation ended cordially, and Sunita’s parents left the temple hopeful. Days turned into weeks, and still there was no response. Finally, Raghunath himself visited the boy’s family.
The boy’s father was hesitant. “Brother, please don’t mind, but…my eldest daughter-in-law felt your daughter was audacious and disrespectful. She asked about her qualifications, as though to compare.”
Raghunath’s heart sank. “So that means…it’s a no?”
The man lowered his gaze. “Forgive us.”
Raghunath returned home heavy-hearted, but silently thanked God for sparing his daughter from a household ruled by a pompous daughter-in-law.
When Sunita heard of the rejection, she was crushed. Two rejections back-to-back broke her pride. She began to reflect deeply on her own attitude—her arrogance, her materialistic desires, her insistence on conditions. Slowly, she changed. She became spiritual, kinder in her words, gentler in her dealings. At school, she bloomed into a beloved teacher, admired by students and respected by colleagues.
Then, after a year, fate brought an unexpected twist. A proposal came from Ajaya, a 44-year-old gynecologist. He was wealthy, with bungalows and cars, but he was also a widower who had lost his wife to cancer. He had two sons, both studying in the same school where Sunita taught. The boys adored her already, for her gentle ways and patient guidance.
When the proposal came, Sunita’s father hesitated. Ajaya was much older, with responsibilities. But when the families met, something clicked. Ajaya was kind, dignified, and warm-hearted. His sons, who had quietly wished their father would remarry someone like their teacher, were delighted.
The marriage was arranged without delays, and Sunita finally became what she had dreamed of—married to a doctor. Yet life surprised her again. She fell in love not with the title of her husband, but with the man himself, and even more with his sons, whom she came to love as her own. A year later, she gave birth to a son, but her affection for her stepchildren never dimmed.
In the quiet evenings of their home, with laughter echoing from three boys who now called her mother, Sunita often thought back to the past—the delays, the humiliations, the rejections, the arrogance of her youth. She realized life had given her exactly what she had once demanded, but only after reshaping her into someone capable of receiving it with grace.
And so, after a decade-long search filled with pride, tears, and lessons, Sunita finally lived the life she once only dreamed of—except now, it was not just her dream, but a shared happiness with the family she had built.