The following day the two couples decided to split their itineraries, Parth and Vidushi opted for a PADI certified scuba diving day trip to Grande Island where a 20 minute boat ride from Benaulim beach would take them to the dive sites. They looked forward to spending the day exploring colourful corals teeming with reef fish in crystal clear waters. Since it was Sanyukta's first trip to Goa she wanted to sightsee accompanied by Randhir. They started their day quite early, after a quick breakfast they left the farmhouse and dropped Parth and Vidushi off at Benaulim before proceeding to Ponda where they would explore the old temples.

The drive from Benaulim to Ponda took a little under an hour. Their first shrine was the Shantadurga Mandir at Kavlem, built in 1738 during the reign of the Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shahu of Satara.  The name of the Goddess is believed to mean the peacemaker between Shiva and Vishnu. The main shrine is surrounded by three smaller shrines, has a lamp tower or Deepastambha and a large tank. Mrs Phaterpekar has mentioned that the temple belonged to the Gaud Saraswat community, some of whom had migrated to Goa generations ago from South Bengal, which explained the Durga worship, the Goddess being a common deity to both. 

Sanyukta had an emotional connect with the Goddess due to her early years spent in Kolkata. She had dragged Randhir to the Durgotsav pandals in Mumbai where they had enjoyed the Khichuri bhog. She recalled the visit to the Shekhawat Kuldevi shrine when she had accompanied Randhir and Vidushi just before he had to leave for Mumbai after which their story had taken root. And recently Nobin da had told her that he was in possession of her lost silver anklet, harking back to her first ever meeting with Randhir in the Kalighat temple in Kolkata when they were so young that she had no memory of that event at all. Like she had done before she prayed for the well-being of her loved ones, especially Randhir, who was to embark on a new milestone in his life in a few months. 

Noticing her deeply engrossed in her prayer brought a smile to Randhir's lips, he could sense what was going through her mind right then. As they spent time exploring the temple he asked her what she had prayed for, knowing well that she would not divulge it. "I asked for a devoted wife and adorable kids for you." She replied with a grin, to which he joked that she was being selfish as she had prioritised herself in the prayers. "Mere liye kuch to maanga hota, tumne to sirf apne liye hi sab maang liya!" He replied, squeezing her palm a little. "Tumhara kya bharosa, kab koi aur pasand aye tumhe, aur tum mujhe bhool jao?"She told him with a straight face. "Jaisey Ira Chauhan? Woh to Mom ko bhi pasand hai!" He said the words casually, without sparing a thought.

The moment Sanyukta heard the name she fell silent, and Randhir wondered whether he had said too much. She knew he was just teasing her, but she wished he had not said it aloud in the precinct of the temple. There was no saying whose words may be responded to as benediction within the hallowed space. Through their visit spanning the Mangueshi (Shiva), Mahalasa and Mahalakshmi temples she did not utter another word, and by the time they had exited the last shrine he knew he had to do damage control or the day would be ruined for both of them. As they got into the waiting car he pulled her in for a warm hug and apologised genuinely for his blunder. " I really want you to have the best you deserve in life Randhir, and I know I may not be the one." She replied calmly and he was taken aback, he was expecting her to burst into tears instead, like any other girl.

"I have the best already, I just need to sort some things out for other people, that's it!" He said with conviction as he pulled her in for a deep kiss, not bothered about the driver being witness to their moment. He kept her captive in his arms all the way to Old Goa, and by the time they reached she was normal again. Not that she lacked faith in his loyalty, she just wished he would be more careful in choosing his words the next time. They began their tour of Old Goa with the Se Cathedral, the seat of the Archbishop of Goa, housing the largest bell in Goa in its tower. The next church was the Basilica of Bom Jesus where the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier, the co-founder of the Jesuits, are kept inside a silver casket and exhibited once in every ten years. People believe, like they do in all popular shrines, that the saint has the power to heal miraculously, and the faithful flock to seek his blessings, especially during the Exposition. Sanyukta uttered her prayers with ardence, helping dispel her gloom as they admired the old religious artefacts and murals.

They decided to drive to Panaji for their lunch and stopped by at a highly recommended eatery where they had more local specialities including the spicy vindaloo and sorpotel with steamed spongy rice cakes called sannas that are fermented with toddy, giving them a touch of sweetness.Sanyukta has found just the right table for them in the patio, and to her delight she noticed a night jasmine growing in the neighbouring compound with a few branches casting their blossoms close to where they were sitting. She convinced herself that this was a sign, so she could continue to keep her good cheer for the rest of their Goa trip. They enjoyed some fried prawns and fish but decided to skip the rice and curry, finishing their meal with a simple local sweet, the ragi or nachni flour halwa. 

After lunch they had time to take in two local attractions, the Baroque Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception and Dona Paula where the local rivers Mandovi and Zuari meet the Arabian sea. The latter is believed to be a monument to a local legend that tells about a pair of star-crossed lovers who leaped off the cliff to their death. They drove back to Benaulim to meet Vidushi and Parth who were already back from their diving trip and were relaxing over beer and snacks in a beach shack, having found themselves a table with a great sunset view. After a couple of beers they headed back to the farmhouse where they had a piping hot home-cooked seafood dinner awaiting them, with fresh prawns, pomfret and oysters stealing the show. The day had been well-invested as the lovers sneaked back into their rooms to tuck themselves in early, but not really to go off to sleep. Randhir decided he had a lot of making up to do, and he was fully committed to doing a good job of it.