There stood a woman around 28 years old. The moment Anvitha saw her, she realized it was Ambika, her neighbor.
Smiling warmly at her, Anvitha greeted her. Ambika smiled back and said, "So you're the one who moved in next door? I'm Ambika. Just now Parvati Amma told me about you. I just got back from the office. Let me go freshen up, and then can we chat for a while?"
Anvitha sensed a certain innocence in Ambika's tone. Smiling again, she replied, "Sure, go freshen up and come."
The time was already past seven. Anvitha fed dinner to Advaith. Once Ambika came, she planned to chat for a bit and then rest. After feeding Advaith and putting him to sleep, she spent some time talking with Ambika. At that moment, Anvitha herself needed someone to talk to.
Morning was her interview. She was anxious about how she'd perform, whom she'd meet there—uncertain thoughts swirled in her mind. So talking to Ambika helped her momentarily forget all that.
Parvati Amma had set up some chairs outside in the veranda, so they sat there and sipped coffee while chatting. Anvitha briefly mentioned she was from Kumbakonam and had a child named Advaith.
Ambika, on the other hand, seemed like she had long been waiting for someone to talk to. Like a flood, she poured out her troubles.
She said her name was Ambika and that she had struggled through hardships in a small village to rise in life. While studying in town, she fell in love with a man named Ashok and married him against her family's wishes.
Hearing about love, Anvitha's face twisted slightly. Ambika noticed and asked, "What's wrong, Anvitha? You don't like the idea of love?"
"It's not that, you go ahead," Anvitha encouraged.
"My parents have three daughters. I'm the youngest. My father arranged marriages for my two older sisters with local village boys. I was the only one who insisted on studying further, so they sent me to town. There, I fell in love with Ashok. My family didn't approve and locked me in a room. Just like they show in movies, I escaped and married Ashok."
"But Ashok's family also didn't accept us. We were both ostracized. We were lost, not knowing where to go. That's when Parvati Amma, who's distantly related to Ashok, said she'd rent us this house. So we came and settled here."
"In the beginning, money was really tight. Ashok didn't have a job. I was also unemployed. We struggled even to get one meal a day. That's when Parvati Amma arranged a job for Ashok through her son in Bangalore. Now he earns a good salary there. For now, we're living apart. Ashok has promised to return once we save enough. Until then, this is our life."
"So, Ashok doesn't come here at all?" asked Anvitha.
"Not like that, Anvitha. Traveling here costs a lot. He visits once a month or every two months if he gets leave. Mostly, we manage through phone calls."
"You don't have children yet?" Anvitha asked gently.
"Not yet, Anvitha. How can we? He's there, I'm here. He only comes once in a while. Hopefully, once we save enough and he moves back, we'll start planning for a child."
"We're planning to open a small petty shop here and settle down. Then we can think about children," she said.
After talking like this for a while, Ambika said, "Alright, Anvitha. You go to bed. I have to go to the office early tomorrow. If I'm late, that manager will scream like a wild cat," she laughed.
Anvitha smiled. "I also have an interview tomorrow," she replied.
"Oh really? What did you study? Where is the interview?" asked Ambika.
Smiling, Anvitha replied, "I completed my MBBS. Tomorrow I have an interview at a hospital nearby. If I get selected, it'll be a good job with a decent salary."
"Oh, you're a doctor? Then I'll get my treatment from you—for having a child," laughed Ambika.
Anvitha laughed along. "Sure, if you need any help, don't hesitate to ask."
Saying good night, they both parted.
Back inside, Anvitha lay down with her child. But she couldn't sleep the entire night. She had to attend an interview the next morning.
She worried about who would take care of the child. But since Lalitha had mentioned a nearby playschool, she had decided to drop Advaith there. He was already three and had experience staying alone during her shifts back in Kumbakonam. So she planned to drop him at the playschool by 9:00 AM before heading to the interview.
Still, her mind was restless about the interview. Who would conduct it? Who would question her? What if it was Chaitanya? Would she have to face him now itself? No—better to face him after she gets the job. If she saw him now, he might refuse to hire her, and her entire plan would fail.
She might have to return to Kumbakonam with the child… and end up marrying Vijay.
Suddenly she sat up straight. What? She's afraid of marrying Vijay?
"Does that mean I don't love Vijay? Did I agree to marry him only for my father's sake?" she asked herself.
At that moment, a vivid figure formed in her mind, gazing at her blushing face, lifting a single eyebrow as if to ask, "Really?"
Looking at that figure, she mentally cried, "No… no… don't come. Don't enter my life again…"
And with that, she pushed that image away from her thoughts—Anvitha erased it from her mind.