Sanju was trying desperately to bring in some peace but Anu ignored him and stared at the agent, challenging an answer. The man finally signed off of his phone. ‘The other houses are at fifty-thousand rent. But this one is at forty only because the house needs some repair. If you don’t want to take it, no problem.’

Anu, tired of the man’s insolence, turned to Sanju and said in a low voice, ‘I don’t want to see more houses with this guy. Let us go home, Sanju.’

The agent walked off in a huff blurting into the phone. ‘Time waste, Macha. They want a palace for cheap.’

Sanju grew silent as they walked to the car. When he headed home, Anu was surprised. ‘Aren’t we going to see the other houses?’

‘Anu,’ Sanju looked pained. ‘Unless you decide to move, you will not give this a fair try. Let us not waste our time.’

Anu couldn’t believe her ears. Wasn’t that an awful house and wasn’t that man a terrible agent? Why was Sanju blaming it on her? ‘You are being unfair, Sanju. That man was so uninterested in showing us any house.’

When Sanju continued to drive silently, Anu began to feel irritated. ‘Sanju, you come back from the US after four months and decide that the life we built over decades is not good enough anymore. The people, the locality, the house—everything that is ours is not to your liking anymore. Then you expect me to embrace that idea and come on board immediately!’ Much to her chagrin, she began to grow emotional. ‘Give me time to digest the thought. Convince me why we need to move. And, get me some coffee for heaven’s sake.’

Sanju sobered and stopped the car before an eatery. ‘This move is only because it is my wish. You think, mull, digest, and if you are convinced, we will look at the houses.’

Anu hated it when Sanju was reasonable because it made harder for her to be unreasonable. Sanju had hardly demanded anything out of her in the six years of marriage or for that matter, even while they dated. Maybe she should cut him some slack. ‘I will try.’ She smiled weakly sipping coffee and eating a Vada absentmindedly. ‘I wish someone rewired my brain to love this idea!’

‘Hi Ajji, why this early?’ Anu yawned into the phone when her grandmother called at six in the morning.

‘Otherwise you will get busy to go to work.’ She continued. ‘Can we go to the Lakshmi temple today evening? You wear a saree.’

Anu had been the designated companion for her grandmother’s temple visits forever. And, she quite enjoyed it. ‘Will there be dinner?’ Her grandmother was an A-lister at temples and got invited to mouth-watering festive dinners.