Meanwhile the newcomers and their friends reached Pydhonie enjoying the labyrinth that Chor Bazaar was. They drank sherbet from a stall and returned to the kholi.

A week was spent in roaming and exploring the various parts of old Mumbai. It didn’t take much time for Asrar to acquaint and associate himself with this area. He was now well versed with the names of surrounding areas as well as streets and directions. He found this area very kinetic, busy and attractive. He had relished the paav, khichda, biryani, kheer, phirni, ragda, seekh kebabs and beef to his heart’s content. Mohammad Ali pleaded and requested his boss Moosa Patel to employ Qasim and Asrar.

One day Moosa Patel was to meet Qasim and Asrar. Mohammad Ali acquainted them with the possible questions that Moosa Patel might ask. A formal meeting took place and they got their jobs. It was a very special day for Asrar. He called up on his neighbour’s phone and spoke to his mother. That evening he called Jamila Miss from Saleem’s mobile. He spoke to her for long and shared the details of his job. She asked a few questions about Mumbai and expressed anger at the fact that he had gone away without informing her. He promised her that he would return soon and explain the reasons to her face to face.

It was a Saturday evening and those who lived in other parts of the city started gathering in the kholi. The room was overflowing. A round of tea was served. There was random talk and discussions. Mohammad Ali gestured to Asrar to get ready. When everyone had had their tea, he collected the cups and washed them under the water tank. Then he freshened up and changed his clothes. When Ali and Asrar were leaving the room, Saleem asked them when they would return. Ali told him that they were going to meet a friend near JJ Hospital. They said they would return around ten, but told him not to wait for them for dinner.

Mohammad Ali and Asrar crossed the road and caught a taxi. Asrar said, ‘We could have walked to the hospital.’

Ali didn’t reply and chewed on mawa. Once in the taxi, Mohammad Ali said that he was giving a surprise party to celebrate Asrar’s new job. This made Asrar happy. He inquired about the nature of the party he should expect. Ali asked him to just wait and watch, and promised that it would be a memorable day of his life. Asrar tried making sense of what Ali was saying but could not understand what it was all about. The road to JJ Hospital had a lot of traffic. The taxi crawled. The vehicles often stopped while people crossed. If a passer-by came in front of the taxi and it started moving, choicest abuses would be hurled at the driver. The double-decker bus behind their taxi was continuously buzzing its horn. The taxi driver pulled his head out of the window and shouted, ‘Motherfucker, there is traffic ahead!’ Another taxi driver smiled. Then their cabbie explained to the smiling taxi driver, ‘Fucker is continuously honking unnecessarily!’