Had his senses not awakened in the past? A woman who had come from Kerala to the party the other night had given a short speech where she had said, ‘The lack of desire for copulation and the lack of having intercourse creates a canker in the soul. This wound makes the body smell bad and a sort of colourlessness covers the face. To hide the discolouring and smell, people participate in divine prayers and good deeds!’ He tried bringing Darakhshan’s face into his imagination, but it refused to be created there. Her face seemed to have broken itself into various parts. Those parts were actually dripping holes. Reeking pus flowed from those holes. He felt suffocated in that unbearable stink.

Hina said that she was reading Gulliver’s Travels. The book was suggested by her teacher. It was a pictorial edition of Jonathan Swift’s novel which was specially published for children. Yusuf had also read that novel during his school days. He still remembered the story. He said, ‘The human looks for something else and ends up finding something else altogether. Whatever he finds ultimately is so different.’ He was actually saying that about himself. Hina kept her book aside and said, ‘Daddy, that’s why life is an adventure.’

Hina got up and sat on the chair. He smiled.

She smiled too.

He looked at Hina and said, ‘My heart also desires adventure.’

‘Then take this book and read,’ Hina said, but she could not hear the hidden meaning in Yusuf’s words.

‘Arey, no. You read on the chair while I sleep on the sofa.’

‘Is sleep an adventure at all?’

‘I’m sleeping to stay awake,’ Yusuf replied.

Two months later she was reminded of her father’s words when her elder sister Nilofer told her that Yusuf had decided to live separately. He had not given any reason for this separation. He had simply said that it was his wish, and he wanted his wish to be respected. They had no choice to disagree, hence they all accepted. He would come home at the end of the month, stay for a few hours, give more than enough money for them to meet their expenses. Slowly his absence was realized by the people living around. The word spread and reached the ears of relatives. Yusuf’s separation gave birth to various rumours in his clan. The rumour that spread the fastest was that he had married a south Indian woman. It finally reached his house. Darakhshan cried silently for many days.

Her mother’s condition hit Hina the worst. She kept her elder sisters informed of her mother’s sorrow over the phone. Saturday evening, both the sisters came to the house with their children. They were astonished to hear that some people were saying that Yusuf had remarried. Nilofer called him up, inquired about him and then asked him to meet her. On being asked the reason for the meeting, she said that it was a serious matter, and she would elaborate only when they met. Yusuf gave the address of his house at Pydhonie which he had bought a few months back. Nilofer, her husband and Hina took a taxi to that house.