Coolie Ayyappan had been in hiding and constantly on the move ever since he’d run from the police. Whenever he ran out of money, he came back to town and knocked on Dhamu’s door in the middle of the night. At first, Dhamu did not hesitate to give him what he asked for, a hundred or two hundred rupees each time. But after a while, Dhamu started feeling that Ayyappan was hitting him up for money way too frequently, and he came to resent the man. Ayyappan also asked for a higher amount each time. Moreover, his tone had changed—he was not requesting money anymore; he was demanding it. Dhamu began to loathe the very sight of him, but he did not express it. The case against him regarding the vandalism of Khader’s store sign was still on in court at the time, so he did not want to jeopardize his defense by antagonizing Ayyappan. However, every time Ayyappan came to him for money, he gave a little less than the amount asked. Eventually, when the case was dismissed due to lack of evidence, Dhamu’s first reaction was immense relief that he could now stop wasting his money on keeping Ayyappan quiet.

The next time Ayyappan came to see him, Dhamu said: “Ayyappan, don’t you think it’s time for you to get yourself a job?”

“Who’s going give a job to someone who goes to jail twice a year?”

“Well, you just have to try . . .”

“There’s no point, even if I try.”

“Not with that attitude.”

“Why don’t you give me a job, then? You can, if you want to.”

Dhamu was silent.

“You see? Why would anyone else feel differently?”

Dhamu said nothing.

“I’ve ruined my life, listening to the likes of you. Now that people don’t need me anymore, they’ve cast me away. But . . .”

Catching the shift in Ayyappan’s tone and expression, Dhamu turned around before he could finish the sentence and walked back into the house.

When he came back out, there was an envelope in his hand.

“Look here,” he said. “This time, I am giving you a bit more than usual. Don’t drink it all away. Try to find somewhere to settle down, start a little shop, make a living. You cannot live forever on someone else’s kindness.”

Coolie Ayyappan said nothing in response. He took the money and left.

Not even two full months passed. One day, Dhamu returned home exhausted from all the election work and lay down for a nap. He had just drifted off to sleep when he heard a knock on the door.

It was coolie Ayyappan.