She came back into her room and sat in one corner. She recalled that in the first year after their marriage they used to talk and laugh together but in the recent years the dialogue between them had only been limited to the phrases like ‘I am going’, ‘breakfast is ready’, ‘when will you come back?’ ‘I will call you from my office’, ‘how was the day?’ and so on. These sentences were now spoken more out of formality than with an expectation of getting responses.

Her sensitiveness is called foolishness by Rajan. He never cares whether she is sad or happy, or what might hurt her.

In all these years after their marriage, he has never even asked, “Monica what do you like, or what do you want to do?”