…I tapped Suma lightly on the shoulder; she jumped a foot.

“Why, you scared me. Why do you have to come like a ghost?” She admonished me. I told her I didn’t mean to and asked her why she was so jumpy. She evaded, and we finished breakfast in silence, each lost in our own thoughts. She finished her bath, pooja, and preparation of lunch in record time. I noticed she was watching the clock frequently.