CHAPTER 5

Following the departure of Thankamma, JoJo is unsettled and clings to his stepmother. She is unused to the aloneness of the night but feels reassured by her husband's snoring.
She manages the household and communicates through letters with her mother, who lives elsewhere. Shamuel is a kind presence, he brings her paper, envelopes, and a pen for her letter writing.
She expresses her struggle with JoJo's fear of water and his resistance to bathing in her letters to her mother.
Her mother replies through the achen who performed the marriage. The mother advises the daughter not to visit and doesn't comment on the potential visit to Parambil, which worries the daughter about her mother's situation.
She is engaged in various household tasks, including cooking, and keeping track of the household goods. The chapter also touches on a few minor interactions with her husband and his family.
She has a strong bond with JoJo and becomes his caretaker; she also faces difficulty with JoJo's fear of water. She faces isolation, yearning for her mother's visits, and only has rare guests.
She observes the cycle of nature and embraces the joy of the monsoon. She is somewhat amused but mostly baffled by her husband's aversion to rain and bathing.
She has a bond with the household and the kitchen, attributing her cooking successes to the benevolent presence of JoJo's deceased mother.
She feels one with the rhythm of the house and has the sense she is running it well.

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