The entire village was in a festive mood. Early in the morning, three boys selected by Devta left for the high peaks to collect rare flowers, the white brahma kamal and the blue larkspur. The festival would continue for three days. Boys and girls put on their best jackets with green topis decorated with small white flowers. Men dressed in traditional gray jackets and green topis roamed the village in high spirits, some already drunk while others were waiting to get drunk. Nearly every festival had a free flow of meat and liquor and most of the men drank to their hearts content, sometimes breaking down, sometimes fighting, sometimes simply crying aloud or laughing. Shevak sat drinking tea at Lalaji’s shop. He was watching Ravi, a Nepali day laborer who earned just enough to keep his head above water. He was of the habit of beating his young wife daily. He had serious doubts that she slept with his boss, the supervisor, while he was on duty.
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