Then Bangari comes to live with them. It has become embarrassing for Nagegowda to have an unmarried sister in the house when he brings his own beautiful bride in. At the same time, Thimmakka has been complaining about having to do housework. Puttaswamegowda, hearing from Bangari and others about how Thimmakka is having to cook, draw water from the well and clean the house, has been scouting around for a woman to live with her and look after the running of the household. Ajji suggests Bangari. It is the poor girl’s fate to be squint-eyed and unmarried. All she is doing here is looking after this house, Rajegowda and Sundru. Chenni can manage now and I am there to help. Let her go to Thimmakka’s house, she says.

Daily, Bangari cooks the most mouthwatering dishes, keeps the house and its surroundings neat and tidy and looks after the needs of all in the house, including the servants. She makes Ramappa’s favourite appe midi mango pickle and he raves about it so much that the neighbours and even older women drop by to get helpings or her recipe. She does the milking in the morning, brings in the eggs from the chicken coop, feeds the cattle, the goats, the cats and dogs that run all over the house, orchard and kitchen garden and also goes in the afternoons to Ramappa’s paddy and sugarcane fields to work with him. Thimmakka, spending time taking Kannada and Hindi classes for younger girls in the village or dreaming, reading novels and listening to the radio, is oblivious to the intimacy that is developing between Bangari and Ramappa. Indeed, who would have thought it possible that Ramappa would look at Bangari when he has Thimmakka for a wife?

Six months later, Bangari becomes pregnant. Ramappa comes to Thimmakka one night and tells her: ‘I am going to marry Bangari. She is bearing my child. She is more my wife than you ever were. I will talk to your brother. You go back to his house.’

Thimmakka is shaken up, but then it strikes her. Ramappa is setting her free from their marriage. She gives the puzzled Ramappa a beaming smile. She has been praying to Kamadeva every night since their marriage to find a way out. She wants freedom to go to Annaiah. And Kamadeva has heard her prayers at last.

Tonight, the auspicious seventh full-moon night, she can act and set things right.

She crosses the threshold of Ramappa’s house without a second thought. The full moon outside in the inky black sky brings on a sigh. Oh, how romantic it all is! She is going to Annaiah, her own Kamadeva, just like Ramani did all those years ago. Thimmakka wonders: shall I go over the wall and collect Annaiah’s swetasanchari and suryavamsi, weave them into a garland for him? Then she shakes her head. I am sure it is not necessary for me.