It was the longest phone call Randhir ever made to his grandfather. He had never imagined he would open up and narrate to him how he met Sanyukta who was in the guise of Yasmeen and how he fell in love with her, how they had built a home in the barsaati and how they had grown attached to the little boy Aman, sharing the desire to adopt him. Nobin da was familiar with most of the details other than the most recent development, Randhir admitting to the abortion and how it had shaken Sanyukta up. He went on to tell Nobin da how she had written down her thoughts in the form of a letter to the baby they had lost. Randhir did not want her left alone at a time when she was so vulnerable. He requested Nobin da to assist in whichever way he could. Nobin da maintained silence for a whole minute before telling Randhir that he had been in touch with Sanyukta over the hotel internship matter and he would try to help as much as possible. Randhir had no idea what impact the conversation had on his grandfather after he shared the last few details with him. Sitting in his bedroom in Kolkata Nobin Sanyal continued to brood as his mind was flooded with the memories of another woman he had come to love dearly, who also preferred to pen her thoughts in the letters and verses she wrote in her secret diary. 

His wife and soulmate Madhabi, whom he had hurt immensely by carrying on an affair with Rosa, was willing to give up on life because she was convinced that he deserved a companion like Rosa who was more sophisticated and articulate, unlike her.  When she fell ill and he discovered her letters he had been wracked with guilt. The woman had loved him selflessly while he had neglected her both physically and emotionally. He spent the rest of his life compensating for his trespasses but the guilt never left him. Many years later after they had reconciled he asked her why she had not sought a divorce and remarried like her brother advised her to. "Because there is no place for another man in my life, it is filled with only you. When we got married I felt inhibited by your presence, and I never realised when you captivated my heart. I was not good enough a wife for you, yet you never snubbed me. I tried very hard to resent the fact that you spent time with Rosa but I could not, because I knew she brought you the happiness I was not able to give you." Madhabi had spoken with downcast eyes.

He recalled how for their silver wedding anniversary he had taken her on holiday to Kathmandu. Rather than spend time in five star hotels, bars and casinos, on her request they had taken in the sights and sounds of the city, moving from one temple to another and shopping on the streets for scarves and shawls rather than in fancy boutiques.  She also dragged him to the potey or glass beads bazaar run by Kashmiri Muslim migrants in Indra Chowk where she searched for the finest hexagonal bright red, high quality Czech made beads. Getting them to string her a cluster of over two thousand beads around the gold tilhari she had bought, she explained that the longer the necklace the longer the life of the husband, with red beads being the most auspicious colour although green and yellow are also used- a belief held by married Nepali women. She often wore the tilhari necklace with pride, expressing a desire for her husband to outlive her, which had turned out to be prophetic.

  While in Kathmandu she acquired a taste for local specialities like fermented greens called gundruk and sinki, lentil dumplings called masaura, a potato pickle called aloo achaar and the spicy Nepali version of chow mein. To his chagrin she picked up some cubes of chhurpi, a bland hard yak milk cheese that she had loved since her childhood. One kept a cube in one's mouth for hours similar to a piece of betel nut, enjoying it like chewing gum. When he laughed at her rustic habits she just smiled and told him that it was another proof that he had married a woman not quite up to his standard. Her words hit him like a jet of ice cold water, making him realise that the damage he had done to her self-worth had become irreparable. As soon as they returned to Kolkata he organised a lavish, traditional renewal of vows ceremony with a priest officiating, in the presence of family and all his acquaintances, publicly proclaiming her status as his undisputed partner. As he filled sindoor in her hair parting, just like he did a quarter of a century ago, she became so emotional that she had tears streaming down her cheeks and he hugged her publicly for the very first time. Showing off his affection for her so explicitly he had sent a powerful message to all present, including his cynical daughter Renuka, that Madhabi was to considered his equal, to be respected and acknowledged as much as he was.

Nobin had earlier shelved the notion of the similarities between Madhabi and Sanyukta because he was pragmatic. He took a notepad and pen and began jotting down the parallels- Madhabi meeting the toddler Sanyukta in the temple, the lost-and-found anklet, the attachment to the night jasmine, Sanyukta's interest in cooking and keeping house, her care for the child Aman, living with the anxiety of being rejected by Renuka and finally jotting down her feelings rather than expressing them verbally to her partner. He had deliberately ignored the undeniable feeling that the spirit of Madhabi was trying to alert him to the presence of Sanyukta clandestinely present in the biye bari during Arohi's monsoon wedding. As the vista of repressed feelings unfurled in his mind Nobin put together a plan in his head to help his grandson and his lover. He knew Madhabi would want him to support Sanyukta because the girl loved Randhir as devotedly as Madhabi had loved him, against all odds. It took some emails and phone calls to people he knew in the course of running his business empire and the job was done. Sanyukta received an email offering her a summer internship in the New York property of the hotel she was training in. 

Armed with the necessary documents and a sponsorship letter, obtaining a J-1 visa from the US Consulate took her a little over three weeks, by which time she had not only finished her internship in Mumbai she had also done her report presentation at her institute. At the end of the training period all those in the batch were surprised when Aryan was adjudged the best trainee instead of Sanyukta. When he collected his citation he smirked as he looked at Sanyukta, expecting her to be distressed over missing the top slot. He had pulled all possible strings and had cajoled and manipulated department heads and supervisors to score him over Sanyukta, hoping to teach her a lesson for rejecting him. He was surprised to see her give him a gracious smile, she even congratulated him on his achievement, confusing him. She would never disclose to him or to anyone else that she had already gotten what she wanted, a summer internship and the opportunity to be with Randhir in New York for two glorious months. If she performed well she could even manage to return to the property to work as an employee after completing her college year in Mumbai. That evening Randhir took her out for a movie and dinner, giving her the happy news that her air ticket had been booked and they would be flying to the US together.