Marayi was happy that the radio brought people to the rock. She felt less bothered by Kumaresan’s absence at these times.

Saroja did not like radio plays. Only songs. She knew which broadcast station played songs at what time. Having listened to them all, Kumaresan too knew that by now. At nine in the morning, she would leave, carrying a lunch bag for her father and brother. Two or three other girls would join her from the houses next door. Though it took her a while to return, she was always back in time to listen to the songs that were broadcast after the news at 12:40. Kumaresan waited anxiously for her return. If he heard the songs on the radio, it meant she was nearby.

Within two months, Kumaresan had managed to grasp the work at the soda shop. He prepared and filled the bottles himself, and carried and delivered them to the shops assigned to him. He adjusted his schedule according to Saroja’s.

Saroja too had begun to feel drawn towards him. Every day, around seven in the morning, he would stand outside, with only a towel on his bare chest, and clean his teeth with a neem twig. If she stepped out then, her eyes would fall on his back that resembled a dark plank of wood, and she would immediately turn away. All his neighbours found it funny that he used a neem twig. ‘Ask your shop owner to buy you a toothbrush!’ they teased him. He laughed but never replied to them. He kept his interactions minimal. He also did not step outside unless it was necessary. Even when he looked at Saroja, he made sure there was no third person observing him. She kept hoping he would speak to her on his own, but whenever they were in each other’s presence, he became very self-conscious and walked away. She too did not have the courage to initiate a conversation. Four or five months went by thus.

It all changed one afternoon. She had to heat up some milk, otherwise it would go bad. When she picked up the matchbox to light the stove, she found that it was empty. Feeling too lazy to go to the shop at that time of the day, she looked outside to see if anyone was about. Even the old watchman who smoked bidis in between his naps wasn’t around. He always had a matchbox next to his pillow. She wouldn’t even have had to ask his permission to use it. The doors to some of the houses were shut, while some others were ajar. Everyone must be napping at this hour, she thought.

She could hear sounds from Kumaresan’s soda shop. For a while, she stood listening to the rhythmic hiss and grating of the soda machine, punctuated by the peculiar sound made every time a bottle was sealed. Then, gathering her courage, she walked up to his door. He didn’t notice her right away. She wondered how to draw his attention. Could she say ‘Hey’? Would that be appropriate? He was preoccupied with his work, and it did not look like he was going to turn towards her on his own. She made a feeble attempt at clearing her throat, which no one would have been able to hear, let alone Kumaresan who was sitting so close to the noisy machine. She tried again, clearing her throat more loudly. He turned around, startled. It was bright daylight outside, and dark inside. At first, he could not see anything clearly because of the glare. When his eyes adjusted to the light outside and he saw her, he turned away quickly. Why was she standing there? Had she discovered that he had been surreptitiously looking at her all these months? Had she come to scold him about it?