Page 20 of The Trip of a Lifetime

ERIN

It was torture for Erin to see Sam. The shame was acute and to watch him stroll into the building with his head high like he was already the winner made it worse. She was so embarrassed about that kiss. The kiss that she had instigated and he had seemed to like, or so he’d said. Now, though, it felt tacky, a bit clumsy and she so wished she could go back in time and withdraw any and all of her advances.

They had two hours until the ferry set sail and Erin suggested that they try and find something cheap to eat.

‘I doubt we’ll find anything cheap here but we need something. I could do with a big coffee at the very least,’ Martha said and it was as if all the teams had the same thought as they dispersed to find sustenance.

They did both get a coffee but the woman that served them suggested to get food on board the ferry as there was a lot more choice. They drank their coffees and finished off a packet of crackers they’d bought while they waited.

They were all boarded and by ten the ferry began its eight-hour crossing. Both Erin and Martha had sleeping bags in their backpacks and pulled them out, ready to try to make a nest for themselves and catch some sleep before the big push to the checkpoint in the morning. The ferry was huge with plenty of comfortable chairs but whether they would be able to shut out the noise going on around them was another matter.

‘We don’t know anything more about our checkpoint at the moment but we know we need to get to Tlell. The ferry docks in Skidegate, so while the others wait for more information I think we need to find out about buses or trains or taxis, or a lift,’ Martha said. ‘I really don’t want to throw it together at the last minute.’

She had the map laid across their laps and it looked to be about forty kilometres to Tlell. The map wasn’t detailed enough to show bus stops or a railway track and the guidebook they’d been given didn’t have that information either.

‘Most of these passengers have cars. I think we should quietly ask the question before the others do.’

‘I’ll go,’ Erin said, getting up. ‘I need to stretch my legs. I’ve spent too much time sitting today.’

‘Okay, you ask for info or a lift and I’ll get us some food,’ Martha said.

After walking the length of one side of the ferry, Erin learned two things very quickly; one was that there was no public transport and two, that no one seemed to be going north.

‘You could get a taxi,’ one woman said. ‘But it will cost you about a hundred and sixty dollars.’

Erin thought about all the money they had saved to get to this point and hoped they could at least get to the first checkpoint on as little a spend as possible. She thanked the woman and moved on.

‘Erin,’ called an unwelcome voice behind her.

She turned to see Sam standing in the aisle between the seats. He was wearing that soft shirt again but this time Erin remained unmoved.

‘What?’ she said.

‘Can I talk to you for a moment? I want to apologise.’

‘Apologise for lying and making a fool of me? Er, how about no!’ Erin said, sounding a little like an angsty teen rather than the twenty-five-year-old woman she actually was. She noticed Sam’s mouth twitch.

‘For what it’s worth, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to be such a shit; I was taken by surprise and then when we’d talked more I didn’t want to spoil what was happening between us by being honest.’

By surprise at how stupid I am, Erin thought as she turned away, trying not to think about what had happened between them. She was not going to let this man stop her from finding a lift. Because she was convinced that’s what he was doing. Like great-uncle, like great-nephew. Trying to trip her up.

‘Back at the hotel you told me that Harrison duped your grandmother in some way and that was why she lost the race. You have him all wrong. He would never do anything like that. He’s just not that sort of man,’ he said, but Erin didn’t turn back or wait to hear more and she moved to the opposite side of the ferry to ask others for help.

When she returned to Martha there was a sandwich and a hot chocolate waiting for her, which she fell upon with great delight.

‘I found a lovely old chap with a van who will happily take us to Tlell,’ she told her grandmother. ‘He says we can’t miss it as it’s bright green with a black roof and a red bonnet. We can meet him on the car deck when we dock. He’s called Hank.’

‘Fantastic,’ Martha said and wrapped her sleeping bag around herself. ‘I’m going to try and get some sleep.’

Erin let Martha rest her head on her shoulder and she was glad to see her grandmother fall asleep fairly quickly. Erin, on the other hand, dozed on and off for most of the night but by the time they docked in Skidegate she didn’t feel at all rested.

* * *

‘That bonnet isn’t red,’ Martha said on the car deck at seven thirty. ‘It’s rust, I’m sure of it.’

Erin couldn’t disagree and really the van didn’t look roadworthy at all but she didn’t have a chance to share her doubts about it getting either them or even itself to Tlell as the tracker was emitting a loud beep. Martha took it from the zip pocket of her bag and read the information out to Erin.

When you get to Tlell head to the bridge then take the path to the beach.