‘She must be cursing him…the cow,’ muttered Rano.

‘No, she is hoping she is working hard enough to feed the old man!’ Rajjo explained.

Rano thought about it. ‘Can you really tell what the cow is thinking?’ Rano asked in disbelief.

‘What do you think?’ Rajjo smiled mysteriously. She loved the fact that Rano was almost deferential with Rajjo’s knowledge and prophecies.

‘Rajjo, move to your left. I need to sit that side!’ Reet commanded.

Rajjo could see the boy had moved his position and Reet wanted to be in his line of vision.

Just then their little brother tugged at Reet’s arm and pointed to a sweet longingly, as a woman was buying it from the teashop. They were little circles of orange batter sprinkled with sugar syrup. Jalebis.

‘Sheru, I don’t have the money and stop pointing at the lady.’

A miffed Reet muttered.

‘He is hungry, we haven’t eaten for four hours, go in and tell mother…’ Rajjo turned to Rano.

‘We are guests here, they will offer us food, mom just about has the bus fare…don’t embarrass her,’ Reet grunted.

Rajjo was staring at the fat lady feeding her son and enjoying the eateries.

Sheru made a puppy face and looked at Rajjo.

‘I am going in to get something for him.’

‘Don’t be stupid! She is going to get mad at us and take us back home right away!’

Reet obviously wanted to be admired a little more and she was in no mood of changing the scenario and getting her screaming mother to make a scene in front of her potential Romeo.

‘Don’t you think he has seen enough of you?’ Rano blurted.

A whack followed.

‘Rajjo stay here, I am warning you. Why don’t you use your special skills and smile at the tea shop guy? And tell him we are from the neighbouring village and give him our address…so he can deliver some sweets perhaps, if need be?’

‘Why don’t I call that boy with long hair and just whisper it in his ear so he can come and ogle at you some more and father can break his legs as well?’

‘Go to hell!’ Reet butted in.

Rajjo marched to the tea shop and looked at the lady.

The fat lady looked at her weirdly. And then her expression changed from amusement to disdain as soon as Rajjo made this request.

‘Can I have a piece for my brother?’

‘Get lost and don’t look at my son’s food, he will have a stomach ache.’

Rajjo had a sudden flash as her face paled.

‘Don’t make him sleep on the terrace tonight. There is a snake in your house, you have a room on the terrace… he will come from there and bite him.’

The woman stared at the girl for a minute. Shocked that she knew the layout of her house and that they slept on the terrace, she just picked up her son and left without paying for the sweets, leaving the hapless shopkeeper screaming at her to come back.