‘All right, sweep the house a little.’

She was going to get the broom from the kitchen when the phone rang. Hina thought it was her elder sister’s call. She picked up the receiver and said in a loud voice, ‘Speak up.’

‘Salamwalekum.’ It was Yusuf at the other end.

They talked for five or six minutes, and Yusuf informed her that he would stay in America for three more months. Yusuf gave her a number and said that in case there was an emergency, they could contact him on that number. After keeping the phone down, Hina told her mother that Yusuf would be in America for three more months because of business. In case she needed more money, they could call his shop. Darakhshan did not give any answer. She sat silently on the sofa. Hina missed Vidhi. Vidhi had bought a new mobile a few days back. She wondered how easy it would be if Asrar started using a mobile phone; it would become easier for them to stay in touch. She immediately thought of a plan and soon put it into execution.

They reached the National Park at 12.30 p.m. on Sunday. The population of wild animals had decreased in the National Park, but people regularly spotted poisonous snakes in that area. Some even claimed to have seen a cheetah and a bear. Those who reported these sightings were usually regular visitors to bars in and around the Borivali area. They used to get drunk and wander near the National Park. People heard their claims attentively, but once they were gone they would say, ‘Does this man take us to be fools? Who will believe such drunkards?’ Once a twenty-foot-long python had come out of the forest. There was a large poster of a famous and influential politician fixed to a pole near the gate of the park. The snake slept on it till the sun reached its meridian. When the pole started heating up, the snake came down. Before descending, it licked the politician’s face with its tongue. Thankfully no one captured the scene on camera or else the media would have created a sensation. It was the portrait of the same politician who died of mouth cancer a few months later.

Asrar and Hina walked for 20–25 minutes.

They reached that area of the park which was not visited by many people. Couples sat and chatted away under the trees next to the road. Those whose love was fresh had hidden themselves in the bushes and others were behind the trees, away from the road.

A narrow path from the road led into the dense forests. They proceeded on that path. A few steps ahead, there was a dried-up rain duct. They crossed it and reached a slope. It seemed like a safe spot. There was no chance of anyone coming there. They sat on a rock. The branches of the trees around touched them. Hina told him that her annual examinations would be starting soon. She would remain busy with her studies for about a fortnight. Asrar advised her to study sincerely. They would meet after her exams and would again visit a place they had never been.