The sun has taken its usual place at seven thirty in the morning. The very same Keteki bird is there again perched at the branch of the Bel (Wood apple) tree, cooing for her companion to arrive. The front yard is again littered with the tiny leaves of the Amla tree. Kaberi has not arrived yet. All of Rohini’s household chores are kept undone. But this delay made by Kaberi has not vexed her. After sweeping the entire house herself today, she reclined on the chair in the verandah to await her maid. Rohini knows that today is Kaberi’s son’s birthday. So, she must have taken him to the village’s Shiva temple to seek the lord’s blessings. This is something Rohini knows very well. An understanding seems to have matured between them. So, Kaberi never asks for permission for delay on this particular day. And Rohini secretly grants her the…