Six

Abstract

With Maranki away in her parents’ place, Gendethimma began to feel sick and weary, devoid of snap and fire. He was no longer on his toes, like he used to be, to leave for Salundi after business at Gauwally. A vague but real lack of enthusiasm about everything. Gendethimma’s mother and sister-in-law took great care and interest in attending to his needs. But, as though he hadn’t the time either to feel delighted or to look askance at the suddenly solicitous mother and sister-in-law, Gendethimma seemed immersed in some deep thought. He’d expected that either his mother or elder brother would bring Maranki back or would at least ask him to do so. Maranki had now been gone for nearly a month. No one spoke even a word about it. Gendethimma was genuinely put out. “They don’t even remember that someone called Maranki exists,” he told himself a trifle thickly. “Perhaps Maranki and her father spoke the way they did only after sizing up these people.”