Read Online One Part Woman by Perumal Murugan - Free Book Online

laughed at Sarasa’s remark and looked at Ponna.
    ‘As if those with children are always doing such a great job!’ Ponna exploded. Unable to stop herself, she went on, ‘This one runs around with a soiled ass after shitting, the other one runs about wiping its mouth after eating. I comb this one’s hair every day. It is not enough to give birth to children—you should also know how to take care of them!’
    Silence prevailed for a while in the entire wedding pandal. The women who had laughed at Sarasa’s remark were not laughing now. Ponna did not feel like staying there any longer. She turned around at the entrance and started walking back. To make sure she didn’t give anyone a chance to come after her, she walked really fast and crossed that village. She later heard that Sarasa had sat and cried about it. She might have done it to clear her name.
    After this episode, Ponna did not attend any functions. Whether weddings or funerals, either Kali or his mother had to go. If any of them put pressure on Ponna, she would respond in their own style: ‘I have no children. What function is going to happen in my house tomorrow? Whom am I going to invite with betel leaf and nut? Are things so bad that when I die no one would come to carry me? Will they let me just lie here and rot? I don’t want to go anywhere. And no one needs to come here either. It is enough if they leave me alone.’
    Sarasa pulled a long face for a while. She even kept her children from going to Ponna’s. And she also took better care of them—she washed their feet, fed them well and combed their hair properly. Ponna smiled inside watching all this. But it lasted just a week. Then everything went back to where it was. The older girl started coming running to Ponna with a comb in her hand. Sarasa too squeezed in a word or two here and there. But Ponna was sure that Sarasa’s dream of getting a share of their property for her children must have vanished.
    Ponna had believed that the barren rock would put an end to all the cruel talk. But all that effort of climbing up the hill and putting her life at risk came to naught. No change occurred in her body. Everything went on just as it had. She didn’t know what more could be done.



TEN
    An ant in his armpit woke Kali up from his slumber. The skin swelled up a little when he rubbed it involuntarily. He sat up. Sounds of cooking were coming from inside the house. Muthu hadn’t returned yet. Kali felt like going for a short walk. Other than the house and the portia tree, there was mainly sun-scorched dry land all around. It had been twenty days since the month of Vaigasi had begun, but the sky hadn’t yet opened its eyes to shed tears of rain. The farmers were waiting for the rain so they could begin the first round of ploughing. But while the heat kept rising, not a single smudge of grey could be spotted in the sky. It sowed within them the fear that the rains might fail this year.
    There was no problem of fodder for the cattle. One granary of pulses and another of corn were still intact. Water scarcity might hit them, but whatever water was left in the well could be used sparingly—none for the coconut trees, only for the cattle. After all, it would have to rain at least by Aipasi or Karthigai. The god in Thattangadu had apparentlyprophesied this: ‘There will be less rain this year for sure!’ Kali thought he should plan accordingly.
    He looked up. The sun was overhead. It must be around noon. He wondered if his mother would have given water to the cows. He had put the husk in the shed. The cows only needed to be brought and tethered. His mother would do the work for one or two days, but he was contented only when he did it all himself. He wondered why he could not trust anyone. Ponna always scolded him, ‘I too am a farmer’s daughter. Don’t you think I can handle them for a day? What is it that you do to them that I don’t?’ At night, even a little movement from them would wake him up. It