The Vendor of Sweets

As Jagan walks home, he thinks about his book. He has written a book about homeopathy and natural cures that has languished with a publisher for years. He sees his son Mali in a group of students, but does not call attention to himself, not wanting to embarrass his son when he is engaged with other youth. At home, he walks through his house, remembering how his father grew their fortune with a stream of successful litigations. He remembers the day when his wife began complaining of a headache, and he tried to stop her from taking aspiring. Like his father, Jagan believes that every symptom has a natural cure. His wife’s suffering was an annoyance to him. But he eventually relented and went looking for the pill. Mali asked what he was doing, and Jagan told him never to touch aspirin because it is poison. 

The cousin tells Jagan that Mali wants to become a writer. This is why he no longer wants to study at the university. Jagan is alarmed. There are two types of writers for Jagan: the first is a mere clerk, and that is what he thinks the cousin means. Therefore, he is relieved when he learns that Mali wants to write novels and poems. Jagan tries to support him, and tells Mali that he is enthusiastic about his writing abilities.

Jagan remembers the day his wife died of a rare brain tumor. The doctor came to care for her, and was maddened by Jagan’s suggestions that she needed a natural cure, not medicine. Mali would eventually come to blame Jagan for his mother’s death. Jagan does his best to reassure Mali that he thinks he will become a great writer. As if he has decided to make it true, whether he believes it or not, Jagan begins telling everyone about Mali and what a tremendous writer he is becoming. 

There is a period of peace in the home. Mali is relieved that he will not be pressured to return to school, and Jagan is proud of his son for wanting to write. Jagan wonders what Mali is writing, and is impatient for signs of a manuscript. But he tells himself that he must not pressure the boy. The cousin arrives and offers to ask Mali about his writing so that Jagan will not have to, but Jagan is afraid that Mali will feel annoyed at this and says no. The cousin returns four days later and tells Jagan that Mali wants to go to America. He feels that only there can he learn the craft of writing. He has already arranged for his passport and plans to enroll in a college that teaches novel writing. Jagan is upset and pesters the cousin with questions that he cannot answer. As the chapter ends, Jagan counts his money in the loft and sees that nearly 10,000 rupees have been taken.