The job itself was not a difficult one. It was the preparations that were going to be tiring. First, he had to remove the small carrier on the bicycle and attach a bigger one. Then, on both sides of the carrier, he had to fasten some hooks from which wire boxes could hang. He also needed to fix two hooks on the handlebar of the bicycle so that the boxes he hung there did not slip off. Clearly, he would first have to give the bicycle a much-needed overhaul. This was going to involve a lot of expense and a good deal of running around. But the potential income would be sufficient to provide for their lives here, and he would no longer have to expect his mother to support the household. Once money started coming in, everything would become easier. Had this been Tholur, there would have been ten shops in just one street to which he could deliver bottles. But he could not expect such things here. Not that he was particularly worried about the challenges of setting up a new business. At the moment, his primary concern was that the current commotion should settle down so that peace could prevail.

Though Kumaresan tried not to show it, Saroja knew that he was struggling to raise money for this venture. When he had worked in Tholur, Kumaresan gave all his income to his mother, and though he was certain that she would have kept it all safely, he now hesitated to ask her for help. If Marayi refused, it would be like a slap on the face. In any case, the situation at home was volatile, with her spouting things like, ‘If you marry a woman who has nothing to bring, you will soon have to carry an alms bowl and roam the streets. Would any dog worth its salt as much as look at a woman who does not have even a penny to offer?’ If he asked her for money now, it would only get worse. So he went to other places to seek help, and returned only by eight or later in the evening after the conch signalling the end of the day’s work was blown.