CHAPTER 68
Summary
- In 1973, Madras, Mariamma feels relieved after a negative pregnancy test. However, she feels a sense of letdown and worried that something could be wrong with her since she didn't get pregnant from Lenin, a Naxalite who she loved dearly.
- Mariamma is visiting her hometown, Parambil, and is comforted by the familiarity of the place and the love of her father and family friend, Anna Chedethi. They notice the fading scar on her face, and she blames it on a lab accident.
- She meets Anna Chedethi and her father upon her return and is welcomed home warmly. Her father uneasily breaks the news to her that Lenin has disappeared and joined the Naxalites, a far-left radical communist group. Mariamma listens as he recounts stories of the newspaper raids and Lenin's involvement in Naxalite activities.
- She spends time reminiscing about her childhood and lost loved ones while returning to her father's study, finding comfort in the familiar surroundings and the nostalgia they bring.
- Despite knowing her father's age, Mariamma is struck by how much he has aged and feels a new distance from him due to her own secrets. Anna Chedethi and her father are anxious about her reaction to Lenin's news, and she feigns surprise and disappointment.
- Mariamma then swims in the river, reminiscing the past, but realizes that both she and her hometown have changed significantly since she left. She realizes that she can't go back in time as life moves on relentlessly.
- Before they part ways, her father speaks to Mariamma about giving friend Joppan the management of their lands, his disinterest in running it, and his love for writing. He offers him ten acres of land outright, in return for ten years of managing the land and ten percent of the yield. Her father hopes that his offer can give Joppan a stable life after he shut down his barge-business due to several problems.
- Seeing her father alone waving her off from the train station, Mariamma feels a rush of guilt for her secrets, especially about her relationship with Brijee. She wishes she could tell him everything, but she knows she can't. She realizes that some secrets can harm people we love, even if they're meant to protect them.