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Beatrice practically skipped over to the couch and enfolded Nancy in a spontaneous hug. “That was absolutely perfect.”
“Is it all you need?”
“Probably not, probably I’ll need something else tomorrow and we’ll be back here all over again, but for now, I’m utterly thrilled.”
Beatrice and the crew packed up their things, Nancy gathered her purse and resumed her conversation with Yangchen, and Rosemary sat beside Kal, unsure where to put her feelings or what they meant.
As the crew began to leave, Beatrice came over with the video camera in her right hand.
“I’m thrilled I had a chance to see that,” Rosemary said. “It will be such an interesting film.”
Beatrice nodded. The camera in her right hand rose as though of its own accord and pointed at Kal. “So you’re the ice doctor, huh?” The red light turned green. “Does that mean you’re one of the ones who almost got my mom killed?”
“Beatrice!”
“I’m just asking. Everest is an industry, and Kal works for the boss-man. How much pressure are you under to get climbers up the mountain as fast as possible?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “Who’s the pressure supposed to be coming from?”
“Do you get less money when people die, or does that not make a difference?”
He pushed the palms of his hands down his thighs and stood. “I think I’ll take a walk.”
“It’s gonna rain,” Beatrice
said.
“I don’t care.” He glanced at Rosemary. “Text me when you’re ready to hit the road?”
“I will.”
She watched him walk off to exchange a few words with his mother before he let himself out, his dark head disappearing down the stairs. Beatrice dropped the camera hand to her hip. The light went red again, then blinked out.
“You’re too old for me to need to tell you that was abominable.”
Beatrice flopped down beside her with a sigh, resting her head against the wall, and closed her eyes. “Are we going to lunch?”
“Would you like to?” Nancy and Yangchen were approaching, deep in conversation, the rest of the crew gone now. “We have an hour.”
“That’s fine.”
“Bea?” Nancy called, approaching with Yangchen. “Why don’t you take your mom downstairs to the vegan place? Yangchen and I are going to see some of the sights.”
“Sure, whatever,” Bea replied. She lifted both her feet high, used their weight to propel her body forward off the bench and into a standing position, and turned off the last of the lights. “Come on, Mums.”
The stairwell was dim, Nancy and Yangchen descending in front of her, Beatrice clomping down behind her and broadcasting resentment with each footfall.
Rosemary didn’t wait to reach the bottom stair. She paused a dozen steps from the landing, waited for Nancy and Yangchen to move out of earshot, and then said, “I’m not doing this.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
Beatrice’s crossed arms said she knew precisely what Rosemary meant and had already prepared defenses.
“I mean I’m not doing it. I nearly died. Dozens of people, people I knew, people who had children and husbands and wives, did die, and all I wanted to do once I knew I was alive was to see you. So wipe that look off your face. I’m your mother. You’re my daughter. I nearly died, and now I’m here. Act like it.”
Beatrice dropped her gaze to the stair rail. “Sorry.”
“Are you? Because I’ve taught you how to apologize, and you can do better than that.”
