Page 20 of Somewhere Only We Know

‘I haven’t got a roommate,’ I said. ‘I have a private suite, darling. The best that the Ganesh Guest House has to offer.’ Which wasn’t saying a lot.

I promised to keep in touch, and after we ended the call, I opened my internet browser and searched ‘Nepal trekking for beginners’.

Kat was right about the lentil curry, it was delicious. Was she right about the trekking too? Was it one step too far? How far would I go to carry out my daughter’s wishes?

Chapter 5

Nepal

‘Your room, mam.’ A young member of staff opened the door and set my suitcase over the threshold.

I took a quick look at the piece of paper I’d put in my pocket.

‘Dhan-ya-bad,’ I read out.

My waiter had patiently taught me how to say ‘thank you’ and I’d written it down on the back of the receipt from the café. I’d looked it up since and this was not how it was spelled, but written phonetically I’d have a chance of remembering it.

The boy grinned, no doubt impressed at my mastery of his language, and handed me the key to room 106 with a small bow.

I repeated my only word of Nepali and bowed back to him. I locked the door as soon as he’d left and looked around, trying not to grimace.

It resembled a prison cell, except perhaps not as clean. Twin beds, separated by a small nightstand, a thin folded towel at the end of each one. A window overlooked a row of air-conditioning units which thrummed loudly. The person in the room next door had the TV on full volume. Above me someone flushed the toilet and it sounded as if water was cascading through my ceiling. I consoled myself with the fact that not only had I brought ear plugs with me, but I was so tired that I’d probably be able to sleep on the street with that puppy I’d seen earlier. Moving into the bathroom, I found a stained bath and a chipped toilet bowl; but on the upside, the light was so dim I could barely see anything at all. My bed was calling, but first I needed to wash away the grime from the journey.

The shower over the bath only produced a dribble of lukewarm water when I turned on the tap, but it was better than nothing. I checked the door was locked, stripped off and showered and washed my hair as quickly as I could.

Ten minutes later, I was searching for my new satin pyjamas in my suitcase when I heard the unmistakable scrabbling noise of a key being inserted in the lock of the door. I froze, holding my breath, my heart thumping. I was only wearing a towel. Looking around for something to throw on, I picked up a hoodie.

The handle jiggled as whoever was on the other side wrestled with the lock.

‘Who is it?’ I inched towards the door, struggling to tug my hoodie over the bath towel turban I’d got wrapped around my hair. I got my head into the hood, but the rest of it stayed wedged on my shoulders.

The rattling stopped.

‘Your roomie,’ said a woman’s voice. ‘Have you got the key in the lock by any chance?’

American by the sound of her.

‘Yes. But I don’t have a roomie.’ I opened the door a fraction and peered out into the narrow corridor to find the woman I’d met in the lobby earlier shrugging a large rucksack off her shoulders. ‘You must have the wrong room.’

‘Ah, shoot.’ She looked at the key in her hand. The fob was carved with the number 106.

A family group chose that moment to pass by, forcing the woman to lean in through my open door, knocking her rucksack over onto my legs as she did so.

I staggered backwards and the rucksack hit the floor.

‘I’ll run back down to the lobby and sort it out.’ She gave me an apologetic smile. ‘Can I leave my bag here, save me lugging it all the way?’

‘Sure.’ I tugged it inside with one hand, the other making sure my towel didn’t drop off.

The woman strode away, and I shut the door, wedging the backpack against it. By the time she returned, I was wearing my pyjamas. This time she wasn’t alone. The man from reception was with her.

‘Mam,’ said the man, addressing me nervously. ‘On behalf of the Ganesh Guest House I am very sorry. But there has been a mix-up.’

‘What sort of mix-up?’ I looked from him to her.

She shrugged apologetically. ‘A double-booking sort of mix-up. You and I have both been allocated this room.’

I glanced over my shoulder and indicated my stuff everywhere. ‘But I’ve already unpacked.’