“Baba,” she said. “Ek aur cup?” (Another cup?)
“Why didn’t you leave?” she whispered. Musafir Cafe -Hindi-
“The bus skidded near Mandi. Twelve died. She was one.” “Baba,” she said
Baba sat down on a cane stool. For a long moment, he didn’t answer. Then he lit a loose cigarette and spoke. hanging from two rusted chains
The wooden signboard, hanging from two rusted chains, creaked in the evening breeze. It read: मुसाफिर कैफ़े (Musafir Cafe). Beneath it, in fading Hindi, was a couplet: "राहें तो बहुत हैं, मंज़िल कोई और है। चाय यहाँ की पियोगे, तो वक़्त भी धीरे चलेगा।" (There are many roads, but the destination is something else. Drink our chai, and time itself will slow down.)