‘In that too, Anna was Gandhian. He expected me to follow all his principles, however extreme,’ she said to Anima. ‘When Ashesh wanted to marry that Mussalman girl? Did it matter to Anna? I couldn’t touch food or water for a whole day due to the shock. But your Anna? He scolded me for putting emotional pressure on Ashesh. Was I doing that? I was just doing what I thought was right. Luckily Ashesh understood that. He even took responsibility for changing his mind so Anna wouldn’t be upset with me. If he had done what you did, I’d have killed myself. You at least married a Hindu, though from a lower caste. Small mercies. I wouldn’t have put it past you to have run off with a Mahar.’

All in all, in Ai's story, Anna had never loved or respected her, nor felt concern for her. That's why he had upped and left so easily. The explanation has made life endurable for her. Anima tells herself often enough not to grudge her that.

Anima decides not to quarrel with her mother over Anna today. It might help reduce the tension that has been building up between them over the last few meetings. Anima is near ‘that’ peepul tree now—the one in which, Rama had whispered, evil spirits lived that came out at night. She had always had implicit faith in his stories and had been petrified to walk past it even in the daytime. When Anna saw her fear, he took her to the tree one new-moon night. Standing below it, he asked, ‘Where are they—the evil spirits?’ Her jaw was locked with fear.

But her mind was ticking fast. It prompted her to hurriedly say, ‘No spirits. I can’t see any. Why don’t we go home?’ Anna had laughed and picked her up. How warm and secure she had felt against his shoulder.