In this story, Sujata takes us through a day in life of Renuka, the housewife. As the story progresses, we learn that Renuka’s husband, who works as a purchase clerk, is under suspension for forging receipts and signature, may lose his job post enquiry. Without going in to details of the story, Renuka pleads with GM’s wife and requests her help to put in a word with her husband so that her husband gets to retain the job with minor punishment. Thanks to the effort of Renuka, husband gets to keep the job. He comes home drunk, tells Renuka that management got scared of him and vows to fight the increment cut. Story ends with husband unbuttoning her in a hurry for sex.

Story is narrated in a linear fashion, matter of fact manner. Few details about Renuka’s hardships provided as part of events. Like how she prepares to protect herself from husband’s beating, her reply to GM’s wife why she can’t get out of the marriage, and how she keeps losing her dignity every time she borrows something from the neighbour. Story provides ample opportunities for the writer to talk about women’s status in the society, bad marriage, how they are treated etc. Sujata leaves the emotion and melodrama out. He also doesn’t give any space for thoughts running through Renuka’s head. When the story ends with the classic Sujata’s last line signature, you will feel the head rush. You feel like you are hit with an iron rod. You feel sick.

It is all left to the reader for the takeaways. Husband does come out as a jerk with a patriarchal mindset, male chauvinist, and a wife beater. From the story, we do realize that Renuka is fully aware that she is stuck in a bad marriage. She is not able to exit since there is no support. Story stresses the importance of economic independence for women in general, and specifically in a marriage. Anyone will become helpless when they end up in an abusive relationship, especially women in a bad marriage, with no economic independence. Why women continue to live with a wife beater? While academic answer is an easy one, in reality it is complicated. Years of conditioning does that to you, I guess.  Change has to start from the family unit, what we role model to our children, both boys and girls.