Khader fell silent, staring intently at Isakki. This silence was all the encouragement Isakki needed.

“It’s a very subtle idea, annachi. Takes some brains to grasp it.”

“I see your point, but I don’t think it will have such a huge impact.”

“It will! Without a doubt. See, your shop is different. The customers can step in. There, at Dhamu’s, people can’t go into the shop. They have to stand outside on the steps the entire time they are buying things. Right now, it’s the shade that makes people want to linger even when they are done with their purchases. It coaxes them to buy and eat a few bananas. It makes them chew some betel or smoke a cigarette. So if there is no shade, it will affect everything. Not just a small impact. It will cut him to the bone.”

“Let’s say you are right about this. What can you do about it? You need an axe to chop down that tree, and all you’ve got is that old pen of yours! You will break the nib if you stab the tree with it . . .”

Isakki laughed. “That’s true. You do need an axe for the job. And the one swinging the axe needs to carry an official order. And that order should carry the municipal chairman’s signature. You are right about that. But this cracked old pen I hold in my hand? All it needs to do is to fill up a few blank pages with writing. Then, one fine morning, on your way to open the store, you will see the tamarind tree going away in the back of a lorry . . .”

“Hear! Hear!” said Khader.

“This is no empty talk. I have already sown the seeds in the right places. Now all I need to do is to keep watering them from time to time. When they start putting out leaves, goats will come for a bite; those opportunists need to be driven away. But there is something I need to take care of first. That’s why I came to this part of town today. But he is not around . . .”

“Who?”

Isakki looked Khader in the eye with a furtive expression on his face. He shot a quick glance toward the ladder and looked back at Khader. Then he dragged his chair closer and leaned in.

“I wanted to see Dhamu today. There’s something I need to discuss with him in private . . .”

“Oh, really?”