Dalia doesn’t stand to answer the harbour guards but they stop her anyway, blocking her way through the booth door. She stops and tells them her name and the name of the boat that is leaving for Atlan. She knows Narivan has arranged their trip. The port officer looks at the ledger and nods his head. The guards move away and let her pass. The sun is going down. The docks torches are turned on lighting the wooden port to the end. Dalia looks around and sees the Atlan boat. Her mother and Narivan are standing in front of it, waiting for her. It looks like a big and advanced boat and should have more than twenty passengers. But Dalia is looking for a smaller boat. A boat with only one passenger: Tirad! She sees more boats boarding passengers and embarking bags, sacks and boxes. None of them is Tirad’s boat. She is too late. She can’t help him anymore. Or maybe she is too early and Tirad hasn’t come to the port yet. Dalia walks down the port looking around to make sure she hasn’t missed him. She hears Asin’s voice calling her name. She turns towards her and steps in the direction of the Atlan boat. Asin calls to her again saying they are late and that everyone is waiting for her to come aboard; the boat must leave before sunset. But Dalia is hesitant. She wants to buy more time until Tirad comes and she can warn him. She thinks about what she had heard. Maybe they were not true! Perhaps Tirad hadn’t taken the money and wouldn’t come to the harbour at all. But it couldn’t be. Mart and Yuma didn’t know anyone was listening and whatever incident they talked about was going to happen that night. Tirad should come any moment now. Asin walks towards Dalia and looks into her eyes. She puts her finger under her chin and turns her head high. She wants to know what has made her so anxious and hesitant.

“I couldn’t find Master Tirad… I wanted to say goodbye… But… But something has come up…” she says with a trembling voice. Asin stares into her face. She seems to know something but is not sure whether she should say it or not. She weighs her thoughts in favour of the less painful reaction from Dalia. She seems uncertain of keeping the secret in her own favour or to reveal it for her daughter’s sake. Asin looks at her daughter from head to toe. Dalia is shaking, not just her voice, her whole body is trembling. Her heart is beating very fast. Asin puts her hand on Dalia’s shoulder; she pulls her in her arms and takes a deep breath. She knows she has to tell her.