She was embarrassed. She turned to look in the mirror and was immediately reminded of her mother. Many more memories came rushing back to her mind. She had some grievances with her mother. She fought a lot with her father and when he went out of the village, she went away with the local Shivam Senav chief. Her grandmother had abused her mother a couple of times, ‘You go there to fuck in the jungle?’ Shanti thought that this abuse was out of anger and moreover, such abuses were common in the village. Her mates at school also abused each other. In fact, they were expressions commonly used.

One day she returned early from school. The door was closed. Her grandmother and father had gone out of the village. She climbed up the ladder placed at the back wall of the house and peeped inside and was shocked to see her mother and the Shivam Senav head in an objectionable position. This had happened one month before the earthquake. She had then climbed down the ladder and gone towards the jungle. She sat under the trees there for about an hour or more and when the school got over she went back to her house. Her mother was busy cooking food. Shanti hid her emotions and grief. This disloyalty of her mother had wounded her heart.

Even though her mother had been disloyal, when the mirror reminded her of her mother, her eyes let loose a string of tears.

Ashok got up and walked up to her. He stood pressed against her back and absorbed her tears in his handkerchief. She could feel Ashok’s touch against her back and hips. This touch made her conscious. Her heart was full of a mélange of emotions. She stopped crying. Ashok made her sit at the edge of the bed. He conversed with her for a long time and tried to console her. He told her about the obstacles she would face in life and gave her motivation and courage. He held her hand between his own. He made her swear that she would never cry again. He told her that they would return to the village in two days. The government might have completed their work by then and hopefully the hospitals would begin handing over the dead bodies to relatives. He said that after performing the last rites, he would take her to Pune, and rent a house there and take care of her. Shanti thought that Ashok was indirectly trying to say that he would soon make her a part of his life. This misunderstanding or illusion gave her great satisfaction.