Dhanno

Mohan comes from a wealthy family in south Delhi and has every comfort a man could want. When his wife walks out on him, though, he is left with desires he has nowhere to put. His attention keeps settling on the woman who comes to clean his house, the sweeper's wife, Dhanno, as she works her way across the floor with her sari pulled up above her knees.

She is not unaware of him. A sideways glance and a sway of the hips tell him the interest runs both ways. But the gap between their worlds is wide, and nothing between them could ever be acknowledged in public. What remains is a private game played out behind closed doors, and a question Mohan has to face: is this only appetite, or does Dhanno want something closer to love from her sahib?

This is a short erotic story by Khushwant Singh, set in the class divisions of Delhi and written with the frankness readers expect from him.