Page 22 of The Trip of a Lifetime

‘I’m so knackered,’ Erin said sinking into a chair.

‘Think how I feel,’ Martha said, sinking down next to her and rubbing her knee.

‘How many miles to St John’s?’

‘It’s about 8,000 kilometres,’ the receptionist said.

Erin smiled wanly at her, wishing she’d not voiced that rhetorical question out loud.

‘And that’s if they send you on a direct route along the Trans-Canada Highway, which they probably won’t,’ Noah said.

The cameraman, who Erin had forgotten all about, was sniggering gently behind her.

‘They? Isn’t that you? Is that professional?’ she asked him.

‘Just injecting some fun. And I’m only here to point the camera. I’ve nothing to do with the rules,’ he told her with a smile and then turned to the receptionist. ‘Can I check in too, please? Oh, and is there anywhere I can do a jigsaw?’

11

MARTHA

Our room was lovely with a view out over the beach and it was so nice to dump our bags and take it in turns to have long, luxurious baths.

We’re a good team, Erin and me. We aren’t known to argue and we share a mutual respect. Erin doesn’t talk to me like I’m an old woman and I don’t treat her like a child.

We had until the following night when the ferry left at ten to take us back to the mainland and on to our next checkpoint and I was very much looking forward to exploring this beautiful archipelago. Hotel staff told us of pretty nature walks with a small chance of seeing their large black bears. Although they said that fall was the best time of year for a sighting. River otters and bald eagles, Haida ermine and pine martens were also a possibility. And if we went out in a boat there was a chance to see humpback whales, sea otters, orcas and dolphins. It was a lot and I had to rally some enthusiasm when my bed and a cup of tea were calling.

Harrison and Sam would be the first to leave with a twenty-minute head start. Femi and Liz would be close behind them and then the girls, the twins and us. It was going to be another scramble for lifts to Skidegate and I could see conversations already happening between the contestants and the hotel staff, but they wouldn’t help us. Cally had said they’d been told not to. And really, what did it matter? There was only one ferry back to the mainland. No one was going to miss it. This part of the journey we were all doing together. I guessed that once we were travelling further east, the options would open up and there would be more chance of getting a decent lead. I certainly hoped so.

Erin and I left for a sedate walk onto a woodland trail with the promise we’d be back for the beach barbecue we would all be having later. Noah looked set to follow, but I smiled sweetly and asked for us to have some private time.

‘Can you take the small camera?’ he asked. ‘If you see any animals of interest, get some footage, would you?’

‘Of course,’ I said and he showed us how to operate it. Really, it was a point and press scenario, I was pleased to see.

Once we were fully onto the trail with the group far behind us, I reached for Erin’s hand.

‘I have an idea for the next leg of the journey,’ I told her.

‘We don’t know where that will be yet.’

‘I know but it doesn’t matter. I overheard someone on the ferry talking about a haul back.’

‘What’s one of those?’ Erin asked.

‘It’s where an RV place gets you to take one of their motorhomes back to another of their branches. Apparently it’s free and in some cases they cover the cost of the fuel too. If we can get to one, we could really go for that.’

‘That’s brilliant,’ Erin said. ‘And we’d save money on accommodation too as we could sleep in the vehicle.’

‘There’s no guarantee a vehicle will be available, of course, but we should definitely try.’

The trail took us for a gentle stroll to a lake where a picnic table encouraged us to rest and admire the view. It was warmer today and the chilly breeze of the previous day had dropped. We both had a top layer of fleece on though, as the temperature wasn’t as warm as we’d expect back at home in late May. We’d been rushing for three days and now, to be able to sit and simply contemplate was lovely. The water was still and had beautiful reflections of the green mountains and the fir trees. More bald eagles soared overhead and I turned the camera on to capture the image as they circled the water before disappearing into the trees. I knew it would only be a matter of time before I would have to say it.

‘Your mum would have loved this,’ I said wistfully as I looked out over the lake. ‘You know, I find it so hard to truly enjoy a moment like this because in the back of my mind I’m always thinking that Clare is missing out. I tell myself to remember all that she achieved and all she got to do and see, but it will never be enough.’

‘I know,’ Erin said quietly.

‘Is there anything you want to say about her?’ I asked. I felt as if I was always prompting Erin to talk about Clare. It was so important to keep her memory alive. It wasn’t lost on me that Erin wasn’t always forthcoming. Or really, ever.