At the Ayemenem house Mammachi greets Margaret Kochamma, apologising for her near‑blindness and noting the “Sad‑About‑Joe” silence. Margaret laughs uncertainly, and Mammachi asks, “Where’s my Sophie Mol?” Sophie is led to Mammachi, who pushes her dark glasses up and, using her limited sight, reads Sophie’s hair and cheek colour, calling her “Pappachi’s nose.” Sophie answers “Yes” to being pretty and tall, prompting Baby Kochamma’s comment that she is taller than Estha and Ammu’s note of her age. Velutha then walks through the rubber trees, barefoot with a coil of insulated wire over his shoulder, wearing a dark‑blue‑black mundu. Rahel runs to him, and Ammu watches the elaborate greeting: Velutha curtsies, Rahel bows, they shake hands gravely. Velutha lifts Rahel effortlessly, tossing her into his arms, displaying a swimmer’s, polished body, high cheekbones and a white smile that reminds Ammu of his childhood. Ammu feels envy and a strange recognition of anger beneath his cheerfulness. The twins later slip into the Play and search for Sophie; Köchu Maria loudly announces Sophie’s arrival, describing her as a “little angel.” The twins hear speculation about Sophie’s role and Margaret’s curiosity about their intimacy, leading to a brief, awkward conversation about “kissing” and babies. Amidst these domestic tensions, Ammu packs her suitcase and retreats to her room, reflecting on her childhood abuse by Pappachi and the scars it left. Rahel and the twins then move to the back‑yard where Velutha’s brother Kuttappen lies paralyzed. The twins find an old wooden boat, discuss its leaks, and decide to repair it, envisioning it as a means to cross the river. They collect sandpaper, polish the boat, and plan to row across the Meenachal, while Velutha watches and later helps them load the boat. The narrative shifts to a flashback of Chacko’s early life in Oxford: Margaret, then a café waitress, meets the rumpled, porcupine‑like Chacko. He tells her a joke about twin sons, the optimist and the pessimist, which makes both laugh hysterically. Their shared laughter sparks a secret affection. Margaret’s background is revealed – she is from London, worked in a café, and becomes a teacher trainee in Clapham. Their romance leads to a hurried marriage without family consent, a cramped flat, Chacko’s decline into corpulence and unemployment, and eventual relocation to India where he teaches at Madras Christian College before returning to Ayemenem with a bottle‑sealing machine. The chapter ends with a Kathakali performance where Comrade K.N.M. Pillai, fresh from an oil bath, greets the twins, noting their interest in Indian culture, while the twins remain silent, absorbing the blend of mythic storytelling and the looming political tensions.