Kanthamma Vegetable Shop

I have been running this vegetable shop in Vavilala for many years now. My day starts way before the sun comes up, usually around three in the morning when I go to the bigger market to pick out the produce. By the time the village is waking up, I have already got the tomatoes, green chilies, and leafy greens spread out on the wooden planks. The shop is at H. No 3-59, /A, and it is just a small space, but we pack a lot in there. People from Nellikuduru come by throughout the day to get what they need for their dinner. I know who likes their onions small and who wants the extra spicy peppers for their cooking. We use old-style scales and sometimes we run out of change, so people just pay me back the next day. It is a lot of standing and talking to neighbors about the news. My hands are always stained from the vegetables, and the floor needs constant sweeping because of the mud and leaves. It is not a fancy supermarket with air conditioning and plastic bags. It is just a local shop where you get what is in season. Sometimes the heat makes the spinach wilt, and we have to sell it cheap or take it home. That is just part of the business. I enjoy the gossip and the daily rush of the morning crowd.