Suddenly, like a cloudburst that resumes its torrential downpour after a brief respite, his mother started wailing again.

‘Look at him!’ she lamented. ‘He has brought a girl who cannot even withstand the sun, a girl who faints. What kind of work will she do? Of what use is a girl who does not have the strength to fetch two pots of water? How did he become such an idiot? Is he going to be busy worshipping her with flowers day and night now?’ Her voice rose in a dirge:

I, his mother, had rejoiced that he would bring me an elephant.

I chirped like a cuckoo that he would bring me a horse.

I danced in joy like a peacock that he would fetch me a cow.

I was thrilled that he would bring home a goat.

But he has unleashed a cat upon us.

Do I catch and leash it or let it wander free?

I could not rejoice at the sight

of a sturdy wedding tent,

of invited guests, of the sound of drums,

of him tying the taali.

That joy, alas, was not mine!

Someone said, ‘Please stop it. Whatever it is, our boy has got married. And here you are singing a dirge.’ There was mockery in the voice, but it had its effect. His mother’s wails were once again reduced to whimpers.

Kumaresan laid down the cot that stood leaning against a wall, and spread a blanket on it. He pulled Saroja up gently and made her lie down on the cot. ‘Sleep well. Everything will be all right.’

The commotion outside made her feel even more miserable. She lay like a child on the sagging coir-rope cot. For a second, he wanted to just stay there and look at her. A string of slightly faded flowers lay unfurled.

She was not comfortable on that cot. She was used to lying down on a mat. Bending down, he whispered, ‘Forget your tears, and sleep,’ and went out.

Her eyes followed him. She didn’t know if she could sleep. Lying on the cot inside that thatched hut felt like being trapped alone in a large cave. The incessant babble of voices outside was making her skin crawl. How could she ignore them and sleep? Just as he had pointed out earlier, she had not imagined that so many people lived here.

Since she had only seen a cluster of five or six homesteads from a distance, Saroja had assumed that only a few people would come to see her. She had thought she would manage somehow. Like Kumaresan, she too had made her own plans, but she had not revealed them to him. Neighbours and relatives would definitely come to see the new daughter-in-law. How would she respond to their questions? A smile was always an appropriate response. Then there were words like ‘yes’ and ‘okay’. Until she had properly gauged the people and had a good sense of them, she intended to respond to their queries with just a smile and a few words. She had also picked up some words from Kumaresan’s way of talking, which she planned to use at the appropriate time.