Jamila Miss and Shanti came before his eyes and vanished like a film sequence. Now, his eyes could only see Hina. He felt the magic of her bright eyes. Hina felt the same. There was a sense of self-forgetfulness in which she was lost as she looked at Asrar. The hidden emotions of the heart reflected in her eyes. The two couldn’t see anything in the cabin but each other, though there were things strewn on the floor. Possibly, six or seven couples had spent time in this cabin since morning. Amid the confusion of the small space, darkness and the intensity of passion, people usually left behind their belongings in such cabins. A pink handkerchief lay next to Hina’s feet. A used red lipstick was kept inside that handkerchief. An unused packet of Kamasutra condoms was behind the dustbin. A small cockroach was snoozing on that packet. A comb, which seemed to have been used for years, was near Asrar’s feet. The teeth of the comb were broken at many places and between them layers of dirt had accumulated. A blouse hook lay in one corner. A few rose petals were strewn around. In the other corner, a bead from a rosary lay on the floor.

‘Ouch …’

There was a plywood partition between the cabins. Hina’s back was leaning against the plywood. The moment she heard the sound of ‘ouch’, the plywood started shaking—khad khad khadak! She was scared. She had not yet gathered what was happening when someone from the adjoining cabin said in an apologetic tone, ‘Sorry.’

Asrar smiled. He had guessed what was happening in the adjoining cabin. The ‘ouch’ had been uttered by an adolescent girl. It was clear that the sound of ‘ouch’ had escaped the girl’s lips in the middle of her ecstasy, although it was the boy who had said ‘sorry’. Even after the apology, the plywood kept shaking. Hina could clearly hear the ‘ah, ahs’, the ‘O my gods’ and the moans of the girl. The girl uttered some words which made Hina laugh: ‘Tu jitna chhota hai, utnach tere hathyar bada hai [You’re small, but your weapon is big].’