The Henna Artist

After Radha starts attending the Maharani School for Girls, Lakshmi arrives one day to take her sister to lunch. The meeting doesn’t go well. Radha is sullen and uncommunicative. Afterward, Lakshmi is intercepted by her builder and threatened. He wants the money she owes him immediately.

Promising to pay that afternoon, Lakshmi goes to Samir to ask for a loan. She is reluctant but feels this is her only option: “[W]here else would I get the money? Banks? When had they ever loaned money to a woman without a husband? Then, a chilling thought: How was I different from Hari, begging for money, begging for time?” (151). Samir gives her the money without question.

Lakshmi succeeds in reviving the young maharani, and her client list grows as a result. She, Malik, and Radha are kept busy from morning until night, though Radha still appears unhappy. Because Radha won’t tell Lakshmi what’s bothering her, Lakshmi goes to see Kanta, whom Radha trusts.

While Lakshmi and Kanta are visiting, Radha bursts in with a black eye. She is surprised to see her older sister there. When pressed, she confessed that Sheela elbowed her during a dance class.