It’s an energetic week. We’ve been walking everywhere and Lucia looks better for it. Her face is tinged pink from the sun. Every morning she sits for an hour on the wall outside the room, warming her back before dressing for breakfast. The waiters at the club all know her by name and habit. In the morning they bring the box of cornflakes to the table as soon as they see us walking in. At seven in the evening, when I’m having my gin and tonic at the bar, they bring her a Coca-Cola and a plate of wafers without us having to ask. Uncle Sundar joins us most nights, and it is a relief to have someone to relay the day’s adventures to.

We call Mallika regularly to check on the dogs. I put her on speaker so Lucy can hear her too. ‘The dogs are fine,’ she says, her voice phantom-like, disconnected. Lucia makes her say their names. ‘Golly, Bagheera, Raja, Dimple. Yes, yes, all are fine.’

Valluvan phones one morning to tell me that he’s going to stand for the Cheyyur district elections. His competitor is a man called K. Alexander. ‘I need some funds,’ he says. ‘Otherwise that fellow and his goons will win.’ I am tired of taking financial requests – Mallika, Valluvan, Teacher – all of them see me as some kind of never-ending ATM. And to what end? I am still alone in all this. I tell Valluvan I’ll have to think about it. I had only just made a Rs 40,000 contribution towards the new village temple, and now he wants Rs 200,000 more. ‘Have a good holiday,’ he says. ‘Good that you and your sister are able to enjoy some cool air. It is so hot here already.’

Everything in the town of Kodaikanal is as it has always been, except it has grown more dishevelled and pitiful, like an elderly relative who wanders about with stained shirt fronts. Lucia enjoys walking the flat path around the starfish-shaped lake, to charge downhill in the bazaar and at 7 Roads, but every time we arrive at the base of an incline, she flops down on the ground and shakes her head. I squat next to her and say, ‘Come on, it’s easy. You can do it.’ And when nothing works, I say, ‘Do you want a fresh lime soda?’ For a while, it seems I can bribe her to do anything with the promise of a fresh lime soda.