Page 56 of The Trip of a Lifetime

‘That’s old Chuck for you. He’s always been a kind soul. Now, I want you both to come in and I’ve got some breakfast ready for you. I’m Mabel. My son has been back on the phone in the last hour and they’ve set Chucky’s shoulder and he’s doing fine. He’ll be home later.’

Breakfast was a huge affair with bacon and freshly baked bread. There were eggs and coffee, juice and fruit. Sam had begun to say they didn’t really have time and they needed to rejoin their group as quickly as possible but as soon as he saw the kitchen table, a loud rumble emitted from his stomach and both Erin and Chuck’s wife laughed.

‘Your appetite is working on a different timetable, son,’ she said. ‘The next bus into town isn’t until this afternoon, but I can take you when you’ve eaten. I’ve got some shopping to do, anyway. It’s no trouble.’

‘It’s just because we’ve not been able to be in contact with our group,’ Erin said. ‘It’s made us feel a bit twitchy.’

‘And your group will be at the bus station did you say?’ she asked.

‘They would have been early this morning but I don’t know where they’ll be now.’

‘My friend, Cindy, works there. I’ll give her a call and she can get a message to your group if they’re still there.’

‘Can you? Will you?’ Erin said. ‘We’d be so grateful.’

And with one call, Erin was speaking to Cally who sounded so relieved that Erin could hear the hours of stress she must have gone through in her voice.

‘They’re all waiting for us,’ Erin said. ‘I mean everyone is having a day and a night in Winnipeg and restarting the race at seven tomorrow. Can you believe that?’

‘That’s great,’ Sam said, nodding his head and not really sounding as delighted as Erin thought he might.

‘That 50k is back in play,’ she said encouragingly.

Sam lifted one side of his mouth in a half-smile.

He must be exhausted, Erin thought. It wasn’t a surprise after driving all night. He’d snap back to it once he got to the hotel and rested.

‘Right,’ Mabel said, clapping her hands together. ‘No excuse not to tuck into this breakfast then.’

So, they sat down and began to eat.

25

MARTHA

I stood up, suddenly feeling uncomfortable from all the breakfast I’d eaten. I was also feeling awkward about being in this small space with Harrison. I wanted news about Erin. Time was ticking along and we’d heard nothing.

I watched from the window down to the busy street below. I wasn’t in the race at the moment and didn’t know how to just be. Over the last couple of weeks, I’d been on it constantly and now I was at a standstill and could feel my energy draining away. If Erin were here, we’d be going through options, working out what was next. Actually, if Erin were here, we’d already be on a bus or train and on our way. We wouldn’t even be in this hotel.

‘It’s going to be tricky getting back into race mode, isn’t it?’ Harrison said from behind me and with that knack he had of knowing what I was thinking. How did he do that? ‘But we will. Once those two catch up, we’ll slip right back into it.’

‘Of course we will,’ I said, not feeling it. I was actually ready to hang up my race shoes and go home.

‘So,’ he said and let the word hang in the air for a moment.

I had no idea what he was going to do or say next, so I kept my vigil at the window, my gaze out onto the street as people came in and out of view, all looking like they knew where they were going, what they were doing.

‘I didn’t mean for you to miss your train,’ he said suddenly.

‘What?’

I turned from the window to see he’d shuffled up the bed a little further and was barely lying down now. He looked serious and perhaps a little sad.

‘My intention wasn’t to seduce you into bed so you would miss your train. That’s what you think, isn’t it?’

It took me a moment to realise he was talking about Madrid back at the start rather than now. Well, we were in his hotel room with him relaxing on his bed, it wasn’t that much of a stretch. When I didn’t say anything, he carried on.

‘What happened between us that night is one of the single most wonderful moments of my life,’ he said wistfully and I rolled my eyes at him because it sounded like a terrible line from a film. ‘Seriously.’