She wanted to smile but controlled it because she was aware that Asrar’s gaze was focused on her and she knew that the face was the foremost page of the heart. She wanted right then her face not to reflect the condition of her heart. In their conversations for the past hour, she had noticed that Asrar was a coward as well as gutsy, kind-hearted and aggressive too, disconnected from the world, yet sensitive towards it, a little eccentric and yet a little wise. The portrait of Asrar that was sketched in her mind was very attractive. Her heart pulled her towards him. She finished her prayers and moved her hand ritualistically over her face. Asrar was still looking at her. As soon as Hina looked at him, he immediately did the same with his hands. She smiled in her heart on seeing him do that. They came out of the dargah. It was the time of sunset. The sun was touching the waves of the sea.

Both of them stood on the road to see the setting sun. Hina suddenly said that if he remembered more verses by the Urdu poet whose work he had recited earlier, she would love to listen to them. This seemed like an opportunity for Asrar. He had memorized Bani’s poems over the past three days so that he could recite them to Hina someday. He did not expect that a day like that would come so soon. They sat on the sea wall and Asrar recited a poem:

Din ko daftar mein akela, shab bhar ghar mein akela.

Mein k eek aks-e-muntashir, ek ek manzar mein akela.

(Alone, throughout the day at the office, alone, throughout the night at home.

Alone, not just me, but also my scattered reflection in all the scenes around.)

He tried explaining the meaning of ‘scattered reflection’ to Hina. Hina had nearly grasped the same meaning that Asrar had just explained. Birds flew towards their right while the red light of the setting sun engulfed the sea. Asrar recited another couplet:

Ud chal o, ek juda khaka liye sar mein akela.

Subha ka pahla parinda asman bhar mein akela.

(It flew away with a new draft in its head.

The early morning bird, alone, in the entire sky.)

Asrar tried explaining those lines too, but Hina said that she knew that much of Urdu and that the lines sketched a new morning. She said that the sad scene of the evening could also be captured in a sher. Hina’s seriousness towards the ghazal gave Asrar more power. He recited the third couplet. While reciting it, his tone was filled with despair:

Us ko tanha kar gai karwat koe pichle pahar ki.

Phir uda, bhaga o sara din, nagar bhar mein akela.

(A turning from the past saddened him.

He then roved in the entire city, alone.)