What Is Missing
- Lakshmi notices her stepfather is gone when she comes back from the village spring.
- When she goes to water her cucumbers, they're all gone. She realizes her stepfather took them to Bajai Sita, "the old trader woman" in the village, and sold them to get money for gambling (18.WhatIsMissing.5).
- Her guess is confirmed when Ama avoids her eyes as they go get water from the spring for the rice plants.