Suddenly hearing the sound of someone approaching, she turned towards the field. An old woman was walking that way, carrying a basket on her head. Saroja stood up. When she arrived under the shade of the tree, the old woman said, ‘Girl, give me a hand with the basket.’ Saroja helped her set the basket down. The woman was very dark, as if someone had slathered her all over with eye liner, and her face was beaded with sweat. Heaving a deep sigh of relief, she said, ‘I can’t carry this basket around from field to field. Girl, can you get me some water?’

Under the cloth covering the basket lay some vegetables. The woman drank the water that Saroja gave her, and said, ‘I heard that a new girl has come. You are beautiful. I feel like I might end up casting my evil eye on you.’ She gently touched Saroja’s face with both her hands and then cracked her knuckles to ward off the evil eye. It made Saroja shy.

‘Is your mother-in-law home?’ the woman asked her.

Saroja shook her head.

The woman smiled. ‘It looks like I will have to pay for you to speak. Is it true that the two of you got married in the month of Panguni? They say that marriages made in Panguni will perish. Panguni weddings are not good for the man’s life. Why were you in such a hurry, Aaya?’ The old woman paused to observe Saroja’s face intently, before carrying on. ‘Did our Nōndi boy give you a little something in your womb? Judging by your face, I can tell. You look like a cow mated by the bull three or four months ago.’

It took Saroja a minute to understand the woman’s insinuation. The moment she did, her face reddened and she turned away.

‘All right, I won’t say anything,’ continued the old woman. ‘Look at me, Aaya. It is just that when I heard it was a Panguni wedding, I was a little doubtful. That is all. When the palm fruit ripens, it will fall on its own anyway.’

The woman was silent for a while, as though lost in thought. Saroja turned to face her. Coming out of her reverie, the old woman said, ‘I have some calabash and ridge gourd. Want some?’

But Saroja did not know if she should buy some or not. Understanding her confusion, the woman said, ‘Your mother-in-law asked me some time ago to bring these. Here, keep them inside. I will be back in two days. I’ll take the money then . . . Now that he is married, Nōndi is the head of the house. Ask him for the money and keep it with you . . . And here, some flowers for you. You are a newly married girl, you should wear them in your hair. I don’t want any money for them.’ The woman gave her the vegetables and a short string of flowers. Hesitantly, Saroja took them from her and walked into the hut. She placed them on the pot of water inside, and stood there.