Dinesh reached the city before noon.
The bus left him near a noisy road where people crossed without looking and vehicles did not slow down unless forced. He stood there for a moment with his cloth bag in one hand and the college address written on a folded paper in the other.
He had been to the city before, but not like this.
This time every building looked like it could hide his son.
He asked three people for directions before reaching the old hostel where Adam had once stayed. The guard at the gate did not let him inside at first. Dinesh explained twice, showed Adam's name, and waited while the guard spoke to someone at the desk.
The guard looked at his faded shirt, dusty sandals, and cloth bag before looking at the paper again. Dinesh noticed the look but said nothing. He had come to find Adam, not to protect his pride from a gatekeeper.
After a while, a bored clerk came out.
"Adam does not stay here now," the clerk said.
Dinesh's heart dropped. "Where did he go?"
