Neha exited from the lift looking at her watch anxiously.  It was 9.05 a.m.......she was 5minutes late. She hastened her steps and placed her finger on the biometric attendance device.  Walking towards her desk, she mouthed good morning to Tarun, her colleague. 
"The manager wants to see you immediately " he said before she could settle down.

Neha's forehead creased with worry lines as she wondered what it was that needed immediate attention.  Placing her laptop bag on the table, she walked towards the manager's cabin.  She opened the door softly. 
"Come in" called Rakesh. She noticed that her team lead too was sitting with him.  Without any prelimaries Rakesh started,
"Neha you know that the company's business has been badly affected by the recession and the management has resorted to downsizing.  Please hand over your laptop and ID card to the HR department and you can leave immediately.   We will be giving you three months severance pay in lieu of notice. Do you have any questions?"
Neha sat too stunned to reply. There were rumours in the office about the lay off.  But never in her wildest dreams had she imagined about being laid off without any notice.  She stood up scared that her legs would give away and walked like a zombie to her desk and slumped on her chair. Tarun looked at her questioningly, filled with concern. 
"I have been pink slipped. Can you believe I need to leave immediately!!" she managed to utter with great difficulty. 
"I am so sorry.  I will miss working with you" Tarun said genuinely.

Neha gathered few of her personal belongings from her desk and stuffed them into her bag. She then went to the HR department and handed over her laptop and ID card silently.
"All your dues will be settled within a month's time" said one of the HR executives . Still dazed she just nodded and walked out of Zen Informatics for the last time. Four years of working as a software developer was all lost in a moment.

Neha commuted daily by the office cab and now had to look for an alternative means to get back home.  She decided to walk to the nearest metro station and catch a train.  Neha fished out her phone from her phone and dialled Abhishek's number.
"Abhi I am going back home."
" But why? You would have just reached.  Are you not well? What is wrong? "
Abhi's barrage of questions was met with a silence.
"I have been laid off" finally Neha managed to whisper.
"It is okay. Please come home carefully " Abhi consoled her.  Neha reached the station and boarded the metro, her head still whirling from all that had happened.  Only when it reached the next station, did she realise that she had boarded a train going in the opposite direction. She quickly got down and after boarding the correct train, reached home after an hour.  She was surprised to see Abhi still at home. 
"You didn't go to work?" she quizzed.
"No, I have taken some time off.  I was worried about you. I will go in late" he said. Neha kicked off her sandals, threw her bag distractedly and slumped on the couch, letting out all her pent up emotions in the form of tears. 
"It is okay baby, it happens" Abhi hugged her, wiping away her tears gently. 
" How will we manage with the house and car EMI's, Bunty's school fees and all?" Neha looked distraught. 
"It is the not the end of the world.  I am sure you will find something else pretty soon. Things will work out and don't worry your pretty head about it."said Abhi.

He went into the kitchen, made a cup of her favourite hot chocolate and gave it to her.  
"Now drink this up  and you will feel better. I need to leave now. We will discuss things later. Bye and take care ". He kissed her forehead gently and left.
Bunty came home in the afternoon  and was happy to see his mumma. She told him she would be at home for some days. Bunty ran away happily to have his snacks and watch his favorite cartoon.

Neha got up early the next day as usual and finished her cooking. She was filled with a deep sense of void. She had started working immediately after engineering  and had never been without a job. Maternity leave was the only break she had taken.
Now she was worried about what to do next.  

In the next few days, she spoke to a few friends and got to know that layoffs was very common in the IT industry and it no way reflected on her capabilities.  It was not something to be ashamed of.  This was a major reassurance to her. Abhi advised her to take it easy for some time and then decide the next course of action.

Neha, who now had lots of time on hand, started going on morning walks. It was  something of a  luxury earlier due to her hectic schedule.  One day, on her way back from the walk, she met Poorvi. She lived on the same floor as her and they were quite close. After exchanging pleasantries,  Neha informed her about being on a break. Poorvi immediately invited her to a kitty party at her home the next evening. Neha accepted the invitation for want of having nothing better to do.

Next day, at noon, she got a frantic call from Poorvi. The caterer whom she had asked to cater to the party, had cancelled at the last moment due to some unforseen circumstances.  Poorvi was in a state of panic and asked Neha for help.

Neha first asked her to calm down. She then asked the details regarding the number of guests  and the dishes she intended to serve . About 15 guests were expected and Poorvi had planned for few varieties of snacks.  Neha then volunteered to prepare samosas and carrot halwa. 
"You are really an angel!! I will prepare sandwiches and french fries. That should take care" said a very relieved Poorvi.

Neha got to work quickly.  She set the potatoes to cook, while she grated the carrots. While the halwa was simmering away, she prepared the filling for the samosas.  Neha was a good cook who was passionate about cooking but rarely found time to cook elaborate stuff. She single handedly finished everything by 4pm and neatly packed them. She then proceeded to get ready and left to Poorvi's house. Poorvi welcomed her warmly and introduced her to the guests.
"Meet Neha, my friend and life saver for the day".
Most of the ladies stayed in different blocks of their huge apartment complex. They went gaga over her samosas which was served with Neha's special chutney.  The carrot halwa was a huge hit too.  Everyone complemented her on her cooking skills and they were eager to know if she would pursue it professionally .
"I did it just to help Poorvi. I have never thought about it" said Neha smilingly. One of the guests, Seema insisted on taking her number and promised to call her later.

Poorvi once again thanked her profusely and  insisted on paying for the food and transferred money to Neha's account.  Neha came home tired but happy.

Abhi looked at her with suprise.  He had seen her moping around for the last few days.  But today her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were now shining with a new found excitement. 
"What's up?" he asked her teasingly.  Neha narrated the day's happenings to him.  She told him how her dishes were a hit with the guests and also about the idea to take it up professionally.
" If you really want to do it, then go ahead. I will support you wholeheartedly . I can help  by shopping for the ingredients,  packing and transportation.  You can ask the maid to come in for a few extra hours and help you with the prepping ".
"I will give it a thought" she said.

Neha lay awake on the bed for a long time.  Her IT job paid her well but was way too stressful.  Long hours of commuting, constantly staring at the computer screen, meeting deadlines all had taken a toll on her.  She always felt drained out with no energy left for socialising or any other activity. Though she loved cooking, she felt apprehensive about taking it up as a profession. It involved a lot of a hard work. Would it be financially viable? Such conflicting thoughts continued to trouble her until she fell asleep.

She was surprised to receive a call from Seema who coaxed her to take up the catering order for a small function. After a great deal of persuasion,  Neha agreed.  Abhi was happy with her decision and chipped in to do his share. Neha took great pain to ensure that every dish was perfect and delivered the order on time.  Seema was extremely pleased when all the guests complimented her about the amazing food. She passed on the feedback to Neha.  She now felt more confident about  it and decided to take the plunge.  Poorvi decided  to help her by  sending out flyers to each block in their complex.

Word spread very quickly about Neha's wonderful cooking skills  and her cloud kitchen.  She started receiving a steady stream of orders. Neha appointed a full time help to do all the prepping work and also added a lot of gadgets which would ease her  work.  She also did a market survey to ensure a fair price.  Neha was very sure that she would cater only to small functions . Quality over quantity was her motto and she intended to stick to it.  Though there wasn't a fixed income every month, it gave her an immense sense of satisfaction.   Bablu was very happy to see her at home when he returned from school. On the days when she didn't have any orders, Neha spent a lot of time playing games with him and supervising his studies.  Abhi noticed a change in Neha.  Earlier  she never had the energy to do anything apart from the usual routine.  Now her face was brimming with a new found confidence . The entire process had been almost therapeutic, healing her of the trauma caused by her sudden loss of job.

Just  when Neha had kind of accepted the changes in her life and settled in her new profession, she received a call from her father. Her mother had a bad fall and fractured her leg and needed complete rest. Her father requested her to come over and help out for a month.  Luckily  Bunty had finished his exams and summer vacation had just started. Neha readily agreed and booked tickets to Chandigarh.   Her parents were very happy to see her and Bunty.  Neha quickly took over the running of the house and her father felt extremely relieved.  He could go to office without a worry.  Bunty kept his grandmother entertained with his constant chatter. She in turn told him stories about Neha's childhood, which he listened to with great deal of interest and amusement.

Neha sat her parents down and told them about her layoff and her subsequent catering business. They were happy for her but felt guilty about Neha dropping everything and coming here to help them. Neha assured them that she was happy to help out in their time of need.  In her earlier job, it would have never been possible to take an entire month off. She could always resume her business once she went back.

One day when she was cleaning the cupboards, she found a book filled with hand written recipes which belonged to her grandmother.  There were recipes of tradional dishes and sweets which were long forgotten.  Neha wanted to try them out and her mother readily agreed.  Whenever she tried something new, her father would sample it and give his critical opinion. She mentioned about her experiments to Abhi when he had called. He asked her to make a video recording of the cooking and circulate them in the family groups.  It was met with lots of encouragement and compliments.

Spurred by the enthusiastic response, Neha decided to started her own cooking channel on YouTube which was aptly named "Food for the soul".  Her parents went overboard promoting her channel among all their contacts. Abhi and Poorvi too helped to secure more views and subscribers to her channel.
Neha was happy she was not sitting idle at her parents' house and continued to upload recipes . A month passed by too soon and she was set to leave.  She got a high stool for her mother, so that she could sit and cook  without having to stand for long. They bid her an adieu with a heavy heart. Neha was their only child and her visits were like a breath of fresh air, energizing their otherwise dull life.

Neha was happy to return back to her home and business.   Six months later, she was surprised to get a call from Tarun, her ex-colleague. He had moved from Zen Informatics  to a bigger company. He wanted to know if she was interested to join his company. Neha then told him about  her change in career and her YouTube channel. He was happy that she was doing well in her chosen field and promised to spread the good word.  Later that night she told Abhi about the call.
"Do you miss your old job or have any regrets about not going back?" he asked
"Not really. I am my own boss now. I am not answerable to anyone and can take time off when wanted. Though I work equally hard now, it makes me happy.  I think I have found my true calling and more at peace now". She said.

Three years later.........

The lawn was completely decorated with fairy lights. A makeshift stage had been created with a beautiful silver back drop. A huge screen was also set up. Circular tables were placed in an artistic arrangement.  A beautiful centerpiece adorned each table which boasted exquisite dinnerware.  Abhi looked dapper in a charcoal grey tuxedo as he went around overseeing the arrangements.  He wanted everything to be perfect for Neha's big day.  She had received the silver button from YouTube  for having crossed 100,000 subscribers.   It was definitely a big thing, and Neha wanted to celebrate it with all who had been responsible for her success.  Abhi looked at Neha with pride. She looked like a dream in a silver sequined saree and her hair fell in soft waves on her shoulder.  There was an ethereal glow to her softly made up face.

The guests started arriving one by one. One of the very first guests to arrive was Poorvi with her husband.   Neha parents too had flown it and were seated in the front.  Their faces reflected a pride and admiration for Neha who had come a long way.  Once all the guests  arrived, Abhi made a welcome speech thanking them for joining in their celebration.  Next Neha's success story was shown on the big screen,  which included  glimpses from parties she had catered too, people giving  a very positive feedback  a and  also the very first  cooking video she had uploaded in her channel   The show ended with her receiving the silver button. There was a huge round of applause.

Neha then took over the mike and talked about her journey.   She thanked Poorvi for giving her a chance to cater to the kitty party. It had all begun from there.  She spoke warmly about Abhi and his support without which it would have been impossible to reach such heights.  She also thanked her parents who had been instrumental for her channel's success with their wide scale promotion.    How could she not mention the names of the residents of their apartment complex, who were responsible for her initial success.  In the end Neha talked about her layoff which actually  turned out to be a blessing in disguise.   She had discovered her passion for cooking only  during that lean period.  And later fuelled by the enthusiastic response,  the passion had turned into a profession which gave her a great deal of joy.  The launch of her channel " Food for the soul" had widened the horizons, making her immensely popular.  It had required a lot of patience and hardwork until she started earning from it.  She had taken a risk, choosing her passion over a well paying job with an assured income.  But thankfully  God had been kind to her and her risk had paid off.  She once again thanked everyone for being a part of her success story and urged them to enjoy the dinner with its  specially curated menu.

A huge round of applause with loads of congratulatory messaged followed and the guests raised a toast to her success.  Neha and Abhi went around the tables thanking the guests and urging them to sample all the fare and give their feedback.  The specially curated menu was a huge hit with the guests and they left thanking her profusely for the wonderful dinner. The silver button is now proudly displayed in their living room, testimony to her success.