Fiction: Two women are in love with the same man – Madhavi, a dancing girl, and Kannagi, his wife

I could never resist my feelings for the nice boy who became my husband. It was a bit too much for my mother to handle. Amma blamed my father for it. She complained that he was encouraging his only daughter, who had become hopelessly besotted with the son of his closest friend. In my head, I was already scripting and rescripting our love story, which was going to be one for the ages, and insisted on disappearing into my perfect storyland.

This annoyed Amma no end. And she might have been right about Appa as well. For he was my only scale drawing of how a man ought to be. He was always the nicest of men. Appa was also one of the most successful merchants in Puhar, the capital city of the mighty Cholas, and was the foremost trader of grains and spices. People always said that it was not his formidable acumen for trading that set him apart, but his benevolence and generosity. I loved that everyone loved my father. And that he loved me, best of all.

Amma did not mind that. “Men are silly creatures,” she remarked. “Your father is better than most, but he is still a...

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