Fiction: A young Umaiba experiences excitement, fear, and joy as she prepares for adulthood

The rattling kudu-kudu sounds from Satyettan’s autorickshaw could be heard from the alleyway. That’s because he won’t fill up the diesel, people teased. It would be running all right – and then there would be a big sound from inside somewhere, like a firecracker’s burst, and it would go phut. Stuck in the middle of the road. But he would simply get up from the driver’s seat, come over, open the diesel tank, and spit into it. Actually, spit hard, three or four times. No clue how, but the autorickshaw would start coughing again, coming back to life! All the children who had set off for the Girls’ School in Satyettan’s autorickshaw would fall over each other laughing and giggling. Shahitha, who would not let even the little ones sit on her lap, would throw Satyettan a scornful look. That gladdened Umaiba’s heart. Good. Let her get all sneery.

Umaiba couldn’t help thinking: Muthumma had five children – no, five girls. But she still coddled and cosseted Shahitha so much. And Shahitha? She mollycoddled herself. Oh, so precious, so dainty, so twee was she. So yeah, let her get all riled up with disgust!

There would be a bunch of chekkanmaar, young...

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