Then her talk would abruptly turn towards the present.

‘Who is she? Where is this bitch from? Did she ask you to forget the mother who clasped you to her chest and raised you? If you had any consideration for my feelings, would you have done such a thing? Even though she lived and worked alone, she did so with dignity, this Marayi. Now, because of you, she has lost all respect and stands with her head bowed in shame. You have made me the laughing stock of the village. Tell me, is this fair what you have done to me? Is this the gratitude you show me for giving birth to you and bringing you up? This body that held you in it is now burning with the fire of injustice. How will I put out that fire now?’

As she spat out those last words, she untied her hair and beat her chest violently. Listening to such an outburst instilled a cold fear in Saroja’s heart, and she stayed huddled inside the hut without so much as peeping out. She feared that if she stepped outside, Marayi’s words, swirling about like a ghostly storm, might sweep her away.

When she mentioned this to Kumaresan at night, he’d say, ‘Poor amma, what can she do? Whom can she tell her woes to? Let her talk. After all, it is only me she is talking about.’

Saroja wanted to tell him, ‘It is not only you that she talks about. She talks about me too.’ But she controlled herself. Marayi did not launch into her histrionics when Kumaresan was around. Saroja often hoped that her mother-­in-law would vent her spleen in front of him, just so that he could hear it himself. Now, with this new development concerning the village council’s decision, she was terrified of what Marayi’s ire would unleash, and begged Kumaresan to stay at home. He told her that if he went and got some things done today, he might have the shop ready in a few days. Despite that, she insisted that he stay with her.

Meanwhile, her mother-in-law went about her work, muttering bitterly to herself. Before she left with the goats, Marayi drank some water from the pot. ‘From today onwards,’ she moaned, ‘we won’t get even this water. They won’t even let us go near the well. We will just have to drink the salty water we get here and stay thirsty. But why should I expect this thirst to be quenched? After all, which of my desires has been fulfilled in this life? Never mind . . .’ The goats tried to spread out in different directions. ‘You will have respect as long as you stay with the crowd. You will lose it as soon as you start going your way,’ she shouted to the goats and ran after them. Her words echoed over the rock and lingered there.