Ram Anjor had made tremendous progress. But this progress had nothing to do with earning wealth or social status. Ram Anjor's real achievement was in fathering children.
Every other year after Babhna was born, he became a father again. After Babhna, two more daughters, Prabhavati and Shobhavati, were born while they waited for a son. After many vows and prayers, a son was finally born the fourth time. They named him Jagdev.
Ram Anjor's mother had nothing to do with him. Who knew what grudge she held against her own son and daughter-in-law? But when Jagdev was born, she hosted a feast for the entire village and celebrated his barhi—the festival held twelve days after a child's birth—with great fanfare. That very day, she quietly whispered some advice to Piyari. "Listen, Ram Anjor's wife... What good is one son? One eye isn't really an eye! Hurry up and have another son so you can make a pair like Ram and Lakshman."
Piyari had been so beautiful that no one who saw her could look away. But after becoming a mother again and again, without proper food or care, she was losing both her health and her beauty. But who cared about that? She had been reduced to nothing more than a machine for fulfilling Ram Anjor's desires. To Ram Anjor, sinking into Piyari's arms seemed the best way to relieve the stress of the world's troubles, problems, and poverty. Piyari's company had become the easiest, most readily available way for him to forget his worries. And Piyari was the one paying the price for becoming Ram Anjor's means of escaping stress.
When Jagdev was a year and a half old, Hardev was born. And when Hardev was born, Piyari took to her bed and never got up again.
Babhna was now eight years old. With help from her two sisters, she had taken over all the household chores. The girls born around the same time as Babhna had either been married or had marriage arrangements made. Now Ram Anjor had begun worrying about his own daughter. Everyone who met him would ask whether talks had begun about the girl's marriage. Then, without being asked, they would offer free advice: "Get the eldest one married off soon. Only then will you be able to marry off the two younger girls on time."
Ram Anjor could only nod and say yes. What could he say? A wedding cost money. Where would he get it? He had no fertile fields to sell or mortgage. On what grounds would a moneylender lend to him? How would he ever repay it? Before lending money, a moneylender worried about collecting the interest. If there was no hope of even getting the interest back, they would never take the risk of giving a loan.
After Hardev's birth, Vaidya Uncle could not figure out what was wrong with Piyari. Every week, he would prepare packets of medicine and say, "Take this new medicine. It will make her feel better." Ram Anjor would hand the packets to Babhna with great hope and tell her to give them to her mother on time. But Piyari got no relief.
That evening, too, a worried Ram Anjor went to Vaidya Uncle and said sadly, "Vaidya Uncle... What has happened to your daughter-in-law? None of your medicines seem to be working. Make something stronger for her, something that will cure her and help her eat and drink. I can't even pay you for the medicine."
Vaidya Uncle rose thoughtfully and took out various herbs from the jars kept on the upper shelves. He began grinding them in a mortar. Then he tied up a packet and handed it over, saying, "Listen, Ram Anjor... You should take your daughter-in-law to a big hospital in the city. If my medicine isn't giving her any relief... But what can I say? If you can't even pay for my medicine, how will you afford Western medicine and the cost of going to the city?"
Ram Anjor said, "Yes, Vaidya Uncle... You know all about my helpless situation. I can't hide my circumstances from you. Please bless me, Vaidya Uncle, that this medicine works and gives her some relief."
With that, Ram Anjor got up, touched Vaidya Uncle and Vaidya Auntie's feet, and walked home with tired steps, carefully carrying the packet of medicine.
He handed it to Babhna and sat outside in the veranda.
That evening, after taking the medicine, Piyari ate lentils and flatbread with great appetite. She asked Prabha to add some ghee to the lentils if there was any. When Babhna heard this, she went secretly to her grandmother and begged for a little ghee so she could fulfill her mother's wish. She brought it back and mixed it into her mother's lentils. Piyari happily ate two flatbreads.
When Babhna told Ram Anjor that her mother had eaten well that day, he was delighted. He thought perhaps Vaidya Uncle's medicine had finally started working.
The next morning, while Babhna was sweeping, Piyari asked her lovingly, "What will my girl cook for us today?"
Hearing the curiosity in her mother's voice, Babhna set down the broom, came over to her, and asked, "You tell me, Ma. What do you feel like eating? I'll make whatever you want."
Piyari said, "My girl... Make bathua greens today, with plenty of garlic, chilies, and fenugreek. And if we have rice, cook a little rice too. That's what I feel like eating today."
Babhna put both her sisters to work sweeping and fetching water, then went to gather bathua greens to fulfill her mother's request.
When she returned, she chopped and washed the greens and put them on to cook. When she checked the earthen pot, there wasn't enough rice to feed everyone. So she put millet in one pot and a little rice in another to cook for her mother.
Seeing his daughter busy until the food was ready, Ram Anjor helped Piyari brush her teeth with a neem twig and rinse her mouth.
As soon as he seated her on the cot, she became excited like a child and said, "Babhna, dear... Is the food ready? If it is, bring it quickly. I'm terribly hungry."
In all these years, Ram Anjor had never seen Piyari so eager to eat. He thought that this time Vaidya Uncle must have figured out her illness and given her the right medicine. After all, she had eaten properly the night before and was asking for food again now. He got up himself and told Babhna to quickly bring her mother something to eat.
Babhna brought a plate of greens and rice with a little ghee mixed in.
Piyari ate it all quickly and enthusiastically, drank some water, and lay down.
Babhna said, "Babu, you go take a bath too, and I'll serve your food when you come back."
"All right, my girl!"
Ram Anjor said this and went to bathe at the well.
When he came back, Babhna had already served millet rice and greens onto a plate.
Ram Anjor sat on the low wooden stool and began to eat.
To find out what happened next, read the next part.