One of his uncle’s wives snapped, ‘Why don’t you go with your grandson and cook and clean for him? He has done such a terrible thing. He has forced us all to hang our heads in shame. Do you have to treat him like an esteemed guest?’ Kumaresan recognized the voice as it continued its tirade: ‘He has brought a woman from somewhere else as if there were no beautiful women in our caste. Who knows? Maybe she brought a lot of gold with her. Maybe he will sell it and build a palace on the rock. People will come and visit him in their cars.’ He could not understand how that voice could have lost all the tenderness it used to have. The voice did not relent; instead it gathered in force and venom. ‘Look at her, standing in her new sari. She’d probably cast her magic on everyone, this witch! Couldn’t she find a man in her own town?’

Contrary to her nature, Saroja broke into a loud sob. Kumaresan held her hand tightly in one of his and lifted the bicycle with the other. He was confused. Have I done everything wrong, he wondered.

EIGHT

EIGHT

It was during the time when Kumaresan hurt his hand that the budding intimacy between him and Saroja finally blossomed.

He had to be very careful while handling the soda bottles that had round glass marbles for stoppers. Even if a small crack formed on the surface of a bottle, it would explode. When he washed the bottles, he had to inspect each one carefully to make sure there were no cracks in it. Kumaresan really liked that task. After he soaked the bottles in a tub for half an hour, all the dirt and grime came off. He would use a bottlebrush to clean the insides and a flat brush to scrub the outside of the bottles. If he sprinkled a little bit of Bassia seed powder on them before washing them, they emerged from the tub sparkling like new. He cleaned all the bottles with great care, as if he was bathing his own children.

Once washed, if he lifted each bottle and held it against the light, he could detect even the tiniest crack. He particularly liked the sheen of the green bottles. Periyasami always teased him, ‘Why are you staring at it so intently, like you are looking at a young virgin girl?’

Kumaresan replied, ‘You should clean a bottle so thoroughly that you can see through it clearly.’

Periyasami said, ‘Oh, you are teaching me now! You have clearly mastered everything! Dey! Don’t I know? You think of that skinny, wiry girl when you clean these bottles, don’t you? Tell me. With just one look at your face I can tell that you are imagining the shape of her hips as you trace the curve of the glass bottles.’