Hina returned to his thoughts. He was amazed at how bold and confident she was. Are bold and confident girls good? He refuted himself by saying, ‘There is no need to misinterpret if a person talks to you nicely.’ He wasn’t satisfied with the answer he gave himself. Had some emotion taken birth inside his heart when he looked at Hina? Why did Hina’s presence render him silent? What was it in her appearance that had made him forget the entire world on seeing her drenched? From where were these thoughts coming into his head? Why was he greedy to see her again? Why was he ready to see her face for hours in silence? Why was he seeing his completion in Hina’s face? Did Hina talk to all strangers like this? Before he could get out of the net of these questions, the taxi driver stopped the vehicle. Asrar got off the taxi and started moving towards the kholi.

Mohammad Ali was standing at the paan shop.

Asrar was going towards his room but thoughts of Hina were still in his mind. Her face kept appearing before his eyes again and again. Mohammad Ali came to him and asked, ‘Where did you go? I’ve been waiting for you so long.’

Asrar looked at Mohammad Ali as if he was woken up from a dream and said, ‘Nowhere. Just exploring around.’

They stood there for some time. When Mohammad Ali was done eating his paan, they went to the kholi.

He told Mohammad Ali that he had gone to Haji Ali from the shop and spent some time there. After which he went to Madhuri’s place in Kamathipura and spent time with Shanti. Mohammad Ali put his arms around his shoulder and said, ‘Just spent time or fucked her too?’

Asrar smiled.

Mohammad Ali said, ‘It’s fine. Enjoy as much as you want, just don’t tell anyone in the kholi about it.’

‘I’m not mad enough to tell anyone,’ Asrar responded.

They entered the room.

Asrar relaxed on his bed. He covered himself with a bedsheet and closed his eyes. In front of his eyes Hina stood drenched in the rain. He kept seeing her dripping wet for a long time. He was happy looking at her oblivious of everything—she was dripping in the magical rain. For long he kept looking at her and thus he closed his eyes. The pressure on the mind and the effects of the tiring day drowned him in the deepest ocean of sleep.

Sleep was darkness and there was peace in that darkness.

5

Neither Any News About You, nor of My Own Existence

(Teri Khabar Na Kuch Apna Hi Ab Pata Chahun)

On Saturday, Asrar woke up at five in the morning.

Each day felt like a thousand years. The arms of the watch seemed frozen to him.