CHAPTER 6

Summary

• The woman in the story has made the breezeway her personal space, where she takes care of JoJo and teaches him his letters amongst other things. She often finds solace in the one old newspaper she has access to.
• JoJo's father, referred to as Shamuel, goes to the market often, bringing back goods and eventually starts bringing an additional newspaper for her, arranged by her husband. This brightens her day but doesn’t remove the prevailing loneliness she feels.
• The woman also watches her husband from afar, sitting high up in trees, missing his company at times. Her lack of connection to others, including her mother and friend Thankamma, contributes to her feelings of isolation.
• She has a deep desire to attend church and repeatedly prays about this. Her husband, however, never attends the church service with her.
• She later discovers that her husband had a Bible which he never told her about, adding to her frustration.
• Despite their lack of communication, the husband shows care and provides for her needs, even arranging for her to go alone to church by boat. Se sees him as a silent protector and provider from a distance.
• The woman finds solace in Damodaran, a friendly elephant who visits her. Damodaran seems to understand and share her emotions, providing a strong sense of comfort and companionship to her.
• Over time, she manages to establish better communication with her husband. She finds the courage to express her feelings and desire to attend church. Her husband is initially resistant, but eventually begins to listen and understand her needs.

• The protagonist has been married for close to five years and despite the time, she is still anxious about her cooking.
• She prepares ghee rice for Damo, who had shown previous interest in her cooking and her husband validates that it means Damo likes her.
• The protagonist acknowledges this knowing affection from Damo but struggles to comprehend her husband's thoughts and feelings towards her.
• Her husband surprises her with valuable and intricate gold hoop earrings. The protagonist had previously come with little jewelry as part of her dowry. The earrings symbolize maturity and she was unaware that her husband had recognized her birthday.
• She grows suspicions of a possible alliance between Damo and her husband as they both seemingly understand the seasonal patterns of farming.
• That night, the protagonist is led by her husband to his room, which instigates fear and anxiety in her as she is only sixteen and unsure of what is about to happen.
• Her husband is understanding and gentle, they lie together on his bed and nothing more. Laying with him calms her anxieties and she feels comforted by his body warmth.
• He eventually asks if she is ready, she consents and they have sex. Although painful and uncomfortable, she experiences a sense of womanhood and power as her body weakens him.
• She acknowledges that their intimate actions are her husband's way of expressing his feelings towards her that he cannot do with words.
• In the nights followings the encounter, she finds herself open to him and expresses her thoughts and sentiments without fear of his reactions. She begins to love him in a way she hadn't before.
• Following their moment of intimacy, the couple manages to eliminate any distance that had previously existed between them.
• The protagonist concludes with a prayer, questioning if God had instructed her husband to return to her when he had fled the altar four years ago. She insists that she is the one God chose for him.