Mallamma: But vadina, why are you bent upon breaking the alliance?
Anasuya: Yeendee lolli. Am I obliged to tell to you?
Yellaiah: I’ll see how you can back out now. Don’t I drag you to the panchayat?
Anasuya: Listen Yellaiah, Renu can wed your son over my dead body, but before that take care you don’t die of some snake bite like that poor Maisaiah.
Yadagiri: What to do when the fence itself is bent on eating up the crop. [Turns to Yellaiah.] Why should you suffer more of her foul mouth?
[Yadagiri leads away Yellaiah, and Mallamma follows them.]
Anasuya: Good riddance bad rubbish.
[Anasuya goes inside.]
Renuka: Who’s a whore naanamma?
Maisamma: An abusive word for a loose woman that loosens her lovers’ purse strings.
And the irony of abuse is that in abusing man, it’s the woman that is abused. Won’t the list of abusive words reveal that?
Renuka: And what about a pimp?
Maisamma: Why do you want to know all about sex the day you’ve matured? [She laughs heartily.] Well, God forbid you won’t have to deal with any.
[Curtains down.]
Scene – 4
[Curtains up: The sun is still some way to set on Rampur’s horizon, and seated on the square cement dais around a mango tree at the temple are Muthyal Rao, Papa Rao Patel, Rami Reddy Patwari, Papi Reddy Patel and Shaukar Suryam. A couple of Muthyal Rao’s henchmen stand guard as well. Papa Rao Patel opens the day’s daily, and is about to read out the earmarked news to them.]
Muthyal Rao: Papa Rao Patel, for once why not give precedence to the local news. Let’s hear the update on Maisaiah’ widow from the horse’s mouth.
Rami Reddy: Dora,why embarrass Shaukar Saab?
Muthyal Rao: Why Patwari, what’s new in it? Won’t he take women on lien in lieu of interest?
Rami Reddy: Why don’t you realize dora that he has to pay for her upkeep in this case? Isn’t it like parting with the principal? What an unwelcome development for any moneylender.
Papi Reddy: Why isn’t she well-endowed to make value addition.
Rami Reddy: By the way, Shaukar Saab, have you any clue who stole the money?
Muthyal Rao: God knows that but don’t we know the widow’s stole is in Shaukar’s hands? [Laughs.]
Shaukar Suryam: And the money under my wife’s pillow. She was to send it to her brother but forgot to tell me about it. It’s as well she didn’t part with it for that gambler would’ve squandered at the races.