The dinner was concluded with black-coffee in tiny cups. At the end, the hand-washing ritual was repeated. This time I grabbed the towel without any misconception as before. Next morning, I woke up with a soft knock. Iqbal was going for official business and was kind enough to say that he would send back the car for me.
Blood is thicker than water.
We had just met in the airport-lounge and he was taking care of me as big brother, though lot younger. After an hour, I received a call from the hotel reception that a car was waiting for me. I stepped down the stairs as gracefully as I could muster. A chauffeur-driven car was a big deal. The chauffeur saluted me and opened the back door.