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was disposing of the
laddu,
oh so neatly! “Good goat!” I shouted. “Eat! Eat it all!”
    We clutched our bellies and laughed until we thought we’d die!
    One part of me was saying,
Shame on you for not keeping a promise!
but the other was saying,
Lali’s happy! Lali’s happy!
It was a lot easier to listen to the second part.
    “See, Lali? It was never meant to be!” I exclaimed. We watched the goat’s hind parts recede as she ambled away.
    “Hutt, hutt!”
we heard Ganga cry. The riverbank lay before us. The Milk Boy stood waist deep in the water, his turban askew and his bare torso thin and wiry. His buffalo herd surrounded him, grunting and jostling and bellowing. He splashed water on their hindquarters, which were heavily caked with mud and dung, and prodded the noisy animals apart with a stick.
    “Oh look, Lali,” I said. “There’s your man!” I cuppedmy hand to my mouth and called out, “Ganga!
Oi,
Ganga!”
    The Milk Boy looked up, his hand shading his eyes from the sun. “
Oi
, B-B-Basanta! What b-b-brings you here?”
    “You’ll never guess in a million years!” I shouted back.
    “You came for a b-b-buffalo ride?”
    “Not today, Ganga,” I said.
    “And who c-c-came with you?”
    “Can’t you tell?”
    “The sun’s in my eyes,” he said.
    “Liar!”
    “You can tell him,” Lali whispered.
    “It’s Lali!” I shouted.
    “Lali?” And like a moth flying to the light, Ganga the Milk Boy came running.
    After that, Lali and Ganga ignored me completely. I felt like a nasty weed in the middle of a bed of roses.
    “Your first w-w-walk to the riverbank,
nai
?” Ganga asked Lali.
    In her place I would have said right away, “Yes? So?” but Lali just lowered her eyes like a blushing bride.
    “I have been w-w-waiting for this moment,” he said.
    “For what?
Hanh
?” I asked loudly but no one heard me.
    Lali continued to be coy.
    “W-w-will you have a ride on my b-b-buffalo, Lali?” Ganga asked.
    “She will. She will! Say,
‘hanh’,
why don’t you?” I prompted Lali, but she continued to stare at the ground and trace a big arc with her foot.
    “Hanh!”
she finally said.
    “There!” I cried. “Let’s go ride a buffalo!”
    Ganga held Lali by the hand and led her down carefully to the riverbank. He left me to clamber over stones and rocks by myself. “Which one?” he asked her, pointing to his large and handsome herd.
    Lali looked from one fine buffalo to the other.
    “That one! That one!” I said.
    But Ganga let Lali take her time. “I like that one!” she said at last.
    And that one it was!
    Ganga lifted Lali up by her small waist and perched her on the back of the buffalo. “Don’t b-b-be afraid,” he said. “I’ll c-c-catch you if you fall.”
    “
Oi!
What about me?” I asked.
    Ganga gave me a rough leg up on my buffalo. “Hurry up,
nai?
” he said.
    Ganga rushed back to Lali, clutched her hand, and led her buffalo up and down the riverbank. When she wobbled on its slippery back or cried when it let out a bellow, he said with his eyes,
Fear not, dear one. I will always stay by your side!
    Me, he left to jostle about on my own.
    Now was the perfect time to speak up. “
Oi
, Ganga!” I called. “Rukmani had a
laddu
for you, don’t you know?”
    The Milk Boy turned.
    “She did? For me?”
    “
Hanh.
But I don’t think it was right!
Laddu
for youshould come from Lali and no other!”
    “Hanh,”
Lali said softly.
    “W-w-worry not, dear Lali,” Ganga said to her. “I w-w-would have thrown them to the b-b-buffalo, at once!
    “
Shabaash!
Well done!” I said and to Lali I added, “See Lali, Ganga loves you truly!”
    “Oo Maa!”
Lali giggled.

    “What shall I tell Rukmani?” I asked as we headed for home.
    “You can tell her the truth,” Lali said, playing with the white flower Ganga had picked for her.
    I nodded. I could say, “See Rukmani, I went to the Milk Boy and he said,
‘Humph!
I’m throwing the
laddu
to the b-b-buffalo,’” which was