Land of Five Rivers by Khushwant Singh Read Free Book Online Page A

fragile, she looked as if the touch of a human hand would leave a stain on her. Modestly, she had her
duppatta
wrapped round her face, and her eyes lowered.
    Minnie was returning from the temple. She had prayed to the gods, she said softly to her mother, to grant her wish. She had prayed to the gods to grant everybody all their wishes.
    Malan smiled. Something stirred her fancy. If her wish could be granted, she thought to herself, what would she ask for?
    â€˜Father has not returned!’ complained Minnie.
    â€˜He is not expected back today; it will be a thousand blessings if he gets back by tomorrow. He has a lot of things to buy. At weddings and feasts it’s better to have a little more than to run short,’ explained Malan.
    Minnie took off her sequined
duppatta
and spread it on her mother’s shoulders. She took her mother’s plain
duppatta,
instead and went into the kitchen.
    The light of the full moon came through the branches and sprinkled itself on Malan’s face. The full moon always did something to her. It made her feel like one drunk. In another four days women would come to her courtyard to sing wedding songs. They would put
henna
on the palms and the soles of her daughter’s feet. They would help her with her bridal clothes; load her with ornaments. How would her daughter look in bright red silk? And then the groom would come on horseback and take her to his own home and make love to her. He would kiss the
henna
away from the girl’s palms and the soles of her feet.
    It wasn’t so very long ago that all this had happened to her, Malan. But Minnie’s father had not once kissed the soles of her feet, nor ever pressed her palms against his eyes. He always came home tired; he ate his meal and fell fast asleep. Only the desire to have a son would occasionally arouse him at midnight. And then it was over so quickly that Malan had to spend hours counting the stars to cool down and get back to sleep. These midnight efforts had produced a daughter every year. The girls came to the world uninvited and departed without leave. Only one, Minnie remained. She was the replica of her mother; like the fruit of a tree that bears only one. Minnie had large gazelle eyes — the eyes of Malan. Her long black hair fell down to her waist. And she had a full-bosomed wantoness which often made Malan think that all her frustrated passions had been rekindled in her daughter’s body.
    Minnie scrubbed the kitchen utensils, bolted the door of the courtyard and went to bed in her own room. Malan was left alone.
    It was late. The moon was so dazzlingly bright that it seemed to be focussing all its light in that one courtyard. Was it cold? Not really. Just pleasantly cool. Malan asked herself why she sat alone in the courtyard under the night of the full moon. Was she expecting someone? Minnie had gone to bed and her father had gone away to the city. Why was he away on a night like this? On full moon nights she used to keep herself indoors away from temptation. But tonight she had her daughter’s sequined
duppatta
wrapped about her face. The sequins glistened in the silvery moonlight; it seemed as if the stars were entangled in her hair; they twinkled on her eyelashes, on her face and on her shoulders. A night-jar called from the mango grove:
uk, uk, uk.
It would call like that all through the night —
uk, uk, uk.
    Her thoughts carried her with them. Her daughter would be married in a week’s time. Then she would be left alone — all alone in the huge courtyard. A shiver ran through her body. The empty courtyard would terrify her. She would have to learn to live by herself. Her husband was too occupied with the pursuit of money; his money-lending and debt-collecting. He came back late in the evening only to collapse on his charpoy. She had often asked him why he involved himself in so many affairs, but it had not made any difference.
    Malan went indoors and saw her daughter fast