Page 32 of The Trip of a Lifetime

‘“In 1883 Banff became a resort town after railway workers discovered hot springs at the base of Sulphur Mountain”,’ Cally read from a booklet she’d pulled from her bag.

‘Very interesting, but we’re almost at the top so we need to get ready to run,’ I said.

And then we stopped and once the door was open we leapt out. Well, Erin leapt out. I hauled myself out, dragging my bag behind me. There was a viewing platform where I could already see the check-in book on a table that had been left at the edge of the area. It was with trembling fingers that I opened the page and saw that we were in second place behind Femi and Liz, just as I thought. I grabbed Erin and pulled her in for a hug.

‘What a team we are,’ I said jubilantly. ‘Second place.’

‘Well, we did know we’d be second, although I wouldn’t put it past Sam and Harrison to have found some sort of special fast track.’

I signed our names and put in our time with a flourish and a rather large grin on my face.

‘Any news on Harrison and Sam?’ I asked Noah who looked surprised by the question. ‘We overheard you talking about their breakdown.’

‘Noah! You need to be more discreet,’ Cally told him with a shake of her head.

‘I was eavesdropping, to be fair,’ Erin said.

‘Even so,’ said Cally. ‘Anyway, they’re back on their way now as the taxi company sent them a new car and driver but the last we heard, they were almost at Calgary, so you will have a fair advantage on them. The taxi is going to bring them all the way to Banff for the inconvenience they caused them. And that is all you’ll hear from me on the business of the other contestants.’

‘Damn,’ I said. ‘That’s a shame. I was hoping for them to be sleeping on a park bench before a bus here tomorrow, and me in a hot tub with a glass of something crisp and cold in my hand, watching them stagger into the hotel.’

‘Wow, got that on camera, Noah? And you say there’s no grudge, Martha.’

I didn’t mean to take that vignette to such an extreme and I could hear Cally and Noah laughing as I walked away to have a proper look at the view.

Erin and I stood for a short while gazing out across the valley. The sun was disappearing behind the mountains. Another day checked off our journey.

‘I don’t want to hang around for long. I shall feel a bit like we’re taunting Priya and Tara if we’re still standing here when they arrive.’

‘You would if it were Sam and Harrison,’ said Erin.

‘Probably.’

‘I don’t much like Priya,’ Erin said after a short while.

‘Why?’

‘I don’t really know. A vibe.’

‘What she said on the bus about it being easier without the brothers in the race felt a bit in poor taste.’

‘Exactly. That’s what I mean.’

Either way, we stayed for a little longer and it was easy to just stand and stare. The scene was spectacular and made me feel really insignificant. Erin took out her camera and suggested a selfie.

We grinned like two incredibly happy people and maybe in some ways we were, but there it was again. More memories we were making together. And with each one I felt just a bit more removed from my daughter.

* * *

The hotel was beautiful indeed and our room was huge. The feel of the luxurious sheets after last night’s sleeping bags was bliss as I ran my hand over my bed. There was a sofa and a writing desk which Erin promptly sat down at to add to her journal. I dropped my rucksack and felt an immediate relief in the muscles of my back. My feet were aching, as was my hip and, of course, my knee. I was also convinced that I had a blister on my heel. I wanted Erin to think I was a strong woman despite my age but the truth was, I was flagging a bit – actually, a lot. I hoped that a day and a half here would see me rejuvenated for the next leg of the journey because Newfoundland still looked an awfully long way off on the map.

It was nearly eight by the time we got to the hotel and we opted for room service. We couldn’t leave until the morning after tomorrow as per the rules: thirty-six hours from the moment we signed in to the book at each checkpoint.

The view from the windows was a winding river disappearing into the distance with mountains climbing up on either side and rows of fir trees lining the water. I stood for some time marvelling at where we were. At the decision we had made to come and take part in this TV programme. At how much I wished I could tell my daughter all about it. And then I had to swallow down what was a sudden, huge sob that was threatening to escape my mouth and I went to look at the bathroom before Erin noticed. It hit me like that sometimes. Usually, I was happy to think about her but occasionally, when I was tired or emotional, or both, I found it hard.

There was a massive bath and a separate shower and I bent down to put in the plug and run the water. My body needed a soak.

We lounged in hotel robes for the rest of the evening as Erin had sent our clothes to be laundered. Room service arrived with the afternoon tea we had ordered, even though it was nine at night. We were told we could have what we wanted and that was what we chose. We spent a very happy hour stuffing our faces with exquisite cakes and dainty sandwiches while drinking gallons of tea. We contemplated a glass of champagne each but decided against it as we were already very sleepy.