She walked back into her hut and fetched a plate and a ladle. Using the ladle in such a way that it wouldn’t leave an obvious dip in the pot of rice, she took out half a ladleful. When she looked into the pot, she was satisfied that her mother-in-law wouldn’t know that some of the kambu had been taken. It looked like there was some kozhambu in the pot next to the stove, but it turned out to be some powder. She threw some on top of the kambu on her plate and rushed out. Sitting inside her hut, she wolfed down the meal, barely pausing to chew and swallow. The kambu millets and the powder together were very spicy. Eating just a little bit brought on a bout of hiccups, so she drank some water.

Once her hunger subsided and she could think more clearly, she felt like crying. This was stolen food. She had to steal food in her own house. She lamented her fate, that there was no one to rush to her side, knowing her condition, and take care of her lovingly. If her mother-in-law had seen her taking the food, she might have called her a thief and chased her away. She tried pushing these thoughts away and turned her attention to finishing the food on the plate. The powder had been made from groundnut; it went great with kambu millets. Would Marayi realize that some food had been taken from her pot? Saroja had been careful not to make it obvious. For a brief moment, she felt absurdly pleased about being a good thief.

As a child, she used to steal money from her father’s and brother’s shirt pockets and buy the sweets she liked as well as candies for her playmates. She had gone to school until the fifth standard, and recalled always having a bunch of children following her. It was her brother who discovered her thieving; he had slapped her. ‘Please don’t hit the child,’ her father had told her brother. To her he had merely said, ‘My dear, if you need money, just ask me.’ She had cried then. After that episode, her father asked her every day, ‘How much money do you want?’ Her brother never asked; he just gave her some change. Clearly, the thieving she had practised then was coming to her aid now.