On hearing that there was a ‘party’, the other boys added the food that they wanted to the list. Mohammad Ali took out Rs 500 from his suitcase and slipped it in his pocket. Asrar and Mohammad Ali headed towards the JJ flyover and kept talking on the way. During the conversation, Asrar seemed to have forgotten the intensity of his hunger. On seeing a batata and ragda patty stall in one corner, Mohammad Ali reminded Asrar how hungry he was. They ate warm ragda and had a bowl of khichda. Asrar told Mohammad Ali that Hina had indicated that she too loved him. After hearing what Asrar had to say, Mohammad Ali said, ‘If that girl did not have an interest in you, why would she meet you for the third time?’

‘What do you mean?’ Asrar asked.

‘It means that if a girl in Mumbai is meeting you for the third time, it should be understood that she has something for you in her heart. Or else, who has so much time here?’

Asrar said nothing. He kept praising Hina. Mohammad Ali could feel the exaggeration in his tone, but he was aware that when in love, the lover praised the beloved with such elaborate adjectives. He did not think it right to interrupt Asrar. He was happy that finally there was a solution to Asrar’s loneliness in Mumbai. In this way, he would be able to adjust well in the city and if things went well, he could even become a son-in-law of Mumbai. After listening to Asrar, Mohammad Ali advised him, ‘Do not praise your “item” so much in front of others.’

‘Why do you say so?’ Asrar asked looking at Mohammad Ali, ‘There’s no one but you who is my secret-keeper.’

‘It’s quite simple,’ Mohammad Ali started while keeping his hand on Asrar’s shoulder. ‘Do you believe in an evil eye or not? Chutiya log ki nazar bohat kharab hai [Idiots generally cast the evil eye]. I’m warning you in advance.’

Asrar did not respond.

Three Bohra girls, dressed in pleasant-coloured burqas, were having kebabs. Mohammad Ali whispered to Asrar, ‘The Shia girl, with whom I have an affair, has asked me to meet her tomorrow.’

Asrar looked at the burqa-clad women and asked Mohammad Ali, ‘Does your girl wear a burqa?’

‘Yes,’ Mohammad Ali replied, paused and then continued, ‘She looks most sexy in a burqa.’

The kebab vendor overheard a part of what he was saying. He smiled. Asrar was also smiling.