In 1932, six years after first tracing letters with the kaniyan, nine-year-old Philipose remains unable to swim. Joppan, once his most patient teacher in the water, refuses to accompany him now that he works long days, causing their first rift. Determined yet mindful of his vow never to go alone, Philipose persuades Shamuel to take him to the river.

The narration recalls how Joppan joined Philipose at primary school despite Shamuel’s misgivings, then earned a job from Iqbal by rescuing an adrift barge. At the dock, two boatmen mock as Philipose jumps in, thrashes blindly, and sinks into the mud. Shamuel dives in and rights him, and the men’s teasing deflates Philipose’s brief pride.

Back home, Shamuel urges an end to the river attempts, but Big Ammachi, honoring her late husband’s injunction, can only enforce Philipose’s vow not to swim alone. Later, she finds Philipose brooding under the old coconut tree. When he speaks of going “up” instead of “down,” she encourages him, then recalls privately how her husband, a week before his death, tried to climb this tree and got stuck until Shamuel helped him down.

Philipose asks why a strong man died and accepts that he himself may never swim “for a reason.” Seeing his new maturity, Big Ammachi resolves to name and explain the family’s Water Condition to him—holding back the frightening genealogy for now—turning his stubborn struggle into the beginning of understanding.