“Your father doesn’t accept you being gay?”
“He goes through the motions, but I think he figures if I’m working for him, he can get me to do other things too, just like what you said about going back to your town. I remember back when he and my mom split up, one of the things they fought about was which one screwed me up.”
“You’re kidding. How could parents do something like that?”
“I don’t know. They fought about everything, really. At least my mom got over it. She even tried to set me up once with some lady who worked for her husband. Of course, that was probably to get me to move to Peru.” She snorted. “I make them both sound awful. They love me, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t a pawn.”
“It’s interesting when you think about it. We come from totally different places, but our situations are so much alike, with the people back home pulling at us.”
“Yeah, maybe we’ll both figure it all out here in Africa. At least nobody’s breathing down our necks.”
“I don’t even want to think about it anymore.”
Addison took that as her cue to drop it. “You know what I don’t want to think about? Having to pee.”
Ten seconds of silence was followed by an exasperated sigh, and the sound of Mary Kate’s sleeping bag being unzipped. “I hate you.”
Chapter Thirteen
Addison was the first one out of their tent, but only because she hadn’t slept all night, despite the fact that Mary Kate had gone quiet a couple of hours before daybreak. It was probably the power of suggestion, but more than once, Addison wondered why her air mattress had seemed so flat. A quick check when she sat up confirmed that Mary Kate hadn’t made good on her threat.
“You’re up early.”
She followed the voice to the dining tent, where Ann was smearing peanut butter and marmalade on bread. “Good morning.”
“Sleep okay?”
Addison shook her head. “Didn’t sleep at all.” She was glad to see that Gilbert had already made the tea.
“Sounds like me the night before last. But I think I made up for it.”
“Did you hear somebody getting sick last night?”
Ann cocked her head toward the tent behind her. “Yeah, it was one of the girls, either Rachel or Courtney.”
“Man, she must have thrown up ten times. I wonder what was wrong.”
“Wouldn’t it be something if it was Courtney? She’s the only one who hasn’t eaten the fruit or vegetables.”
“Yeah, but it might be the altitude,” Addison said. “Twelve thousand feet is pretty high for somebody who lives in Pennsylvania.”
Ann leaned closer and lowered her voice. “Not to mention somebody who didn’t train at all. And Nikki said her water bottles were half full last night, so she isn’t drinking like she’s supposed to.”
Addison shook her head, wondering how somebody could be so foolish. “She’s taking a big chance.”
“I know. It’s hard not to get on her case, but I’m on vacation from being somebody’s mother on this trip. Thank goodness my niece can take care of herself.”
Mary Kate emerged from the tent, bleary-eyed and disheveled. “Something tells me it’s going to be a long day.” She took a seat at the table, and Ann handed her a slathered piece of bread.
“Looks like lots of us had a rough night,” Addison said, nodding in the direction of Drew and Kirby, both of whom were stumbling from their tent. “I don’t think we gain any altitude today, so maybe we’ll all be back to normal tonight.”
Drew pushed by them and poured a cup of tea. “My head’s about to explode.”
Addison smiled to herself as Ann slipped seamlessly into a mothering role, moving behind him as he sat to gently massage his temples. “Make sure you drink plenty of water today.”
One by one, the remaining hikers joined them for breakfast. Even Neal and Mei were subdued, both complaining of a restless night. The Penn State trio appeared, but Courtney stayed well clear of the dining tent.
“She isn’t interested in food this morning,” Rachel said.
As they wrapped up breakfast, Luke joined them to lay out their day. “We have an easy hike, only three and one-half hours. We gain two hundred meters.”
“Seven hundred feet,” Mei said.
“We will reach the camp in time for lunch. That is the good news. The bad news is that Shira Two is upon rocks, not as comfortable. The wind blows very hard.”
Given how tired they all seemed, Addison doubted that would matter to anyone. Under normal circumstances, she would have hung back to walk with Mary Kate, but after their talk into the wee hours of the morning, she didn’t want to be pushy in case Mary Kate wanted a change of company. She was pleased when Mary Kate scooted around Neal and Mei to take the place behind her, but became concerned when she saw her worried expression.
“You okay, Mary Kate?”
“I don’t know. I feel kind of numb and tingly. I had trouble holding on to my cup this morning.”
“Maybe you slept on your arm or something, pinched a nerve.”
She shook her head. “It’s in my feet too, like I’m walking on pins and needles.”
Addison stopped and pressed her palm to Mary Kate’s forehead. “I don’t think you have a fever or anything.”
Neal and Mei walked around them, leaving them on the trail behind the group.
“I don’t feel sick, just numb.”
“Did you eat something unusual?” She shook her head, feeling ridiculous. “I know, stupid question. You took that Diamox yesterday. Are there side effects?”
Mary Kate pulled off her pack and dug out the small bottle to check the label. “Here it is…dizziness, blurred vision, stomach upset, numbness in the extremities. So I bet that’s what it is.”
“You need to stop taking it.”
“I only had one yesterday at lunch.”
“Good. I bet if you drink up your water, it’ll be out of your system soon.” She helped Mary Kate with her pack and they quickened their usual pace to close the gap between them and the group, catching up with the others just as Luke called for a break.
“You should eat something too, Mary Kate. Maybe it’ll speed up the effects. Try one of your energy bars.”
“Good idea.” She pulled two from her pack. “You want one?”
“Sure.”
Addison propped her pack against a jagged rock to use as a back cushion. The energy bar was a good idea, especially since she was dragging from her sleepless night.
“You know what? I bet we all could use one of these,” Mary Kate said.
Addison watched as Mary Kate made the rounds of the group, passing out energy bars. It was nice the way she stopped to give Courtney a pep talk. Mary Kate was a good soul, not like most of the self-centered women Addison had dated.
Shuddering, she recognized something inside her as she compared Mary Kate to women she knew romantically, the familiar sensation that signaled more than just a passing interest. The signs were all there. She had taken to Mary Kate right away, and despite spending their long nights together in the tent, she preferred her company all day as well. Not good. Not good at all. Mary Kate was friendly and accepting when it came to lesbians, but that didn’t mean she was open to going where Addison’s thoughts were headed.
Rachel perched on a nearby rock, her arms crossed to ward off the chilly breeze. Despite the bright sunlight, they were all still in their jackets. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m kind of pissed that Tom didn’t give us a little more info in the stuff he sent out. He gave this long list of things we should bring, but then he kept saying to pack light. I don’t know if I’ve brought enough clothes. I nearly froze to death last night, and we’re just at twelve thousand feet.”
Drew polished off his energy bar and wiped his hands on his pants, the convertibles Addison had given him. “We’ll probably have to wear the same clothes the whole time we’re out here, just adding something else every day.”
“Especially
you,” Neal said with a chuckle.
“Yeah, yeah. By the time we go to the summit, I’ll be wearing all of your clothes at the same time.”
“Just imagine what you’ll smell like by then,” Neal went on. “I hope you at least collected enough underwear to change every day.”
“Nah, just half as much. I’ve just been turning them inside out on the second day.”
“That’s gross!” Courtney said. “Way too much information.”
“And you wonder why you’re still single,” Kirby said, shaking his head. “Get a clue, man.”
At the front of the line, Luke picked up his pack and turned toward the mountain. The others groaned and fell in behind him.
Now conscious of her growing feelings—and of her reluctance to give them rein—Addison hung back to let Mary Kate walk with someone else. As if to torture her, Mary Kate stepped aside to wait, and they fell in step again. Addison secretly loved it, but Mary Kate would probably freak if she had any idea.
One hour later, the hikers climbed onto a rocky mesa, so small the tents were erected with barely a yard between each. Addison looked about quickly and chose the tent in the center, figuring the other tents would shield them from the frigid wind on this exposed ridge.
Again, they spread out their sleeping bags to dry, this time securing them to the tent wires so they wouldn’t blow away.
“Whose tent is this one?” Kirby yelled, opening the flap to find two Summit bags already under the rain guard.
“That one’s ours,” a voice called from the dining tent, where two figures sat huddled against the stiff breeze.
Everyone converged on the tent, surprised to be meeting new arrivals on this, their third day on the trail. From their age difference, Addison guessed they were father and son.
The older man stood, offering his hand. “I’m Jim, and this is my son, Brad. I got delayed on business, so we came up the Machame Trail. Hope you don’t mind a couple of extras.”
“Are you the guys from Dallas?” Mary Kate asked.
“That’s us. We got here yesterday.”
Brad stepped forward, his face set in a scowl. “Thank God I’ll have somebody new to talk to besides this old guy.”
His father raised an eyebrow, but otherwise let the remark slide.
“How you doing, Brat?” Neal held out his hand for a shake.
“It’s Brad!” the youth answered indignantly.
Ann got up into his face and sneered menacingly. “Well, Brad! What makes you think we want to talk to you?”
Everyone laughed as Brad’s face turned red. Finally, he let out a small grin. “Shit. Something tells me I’m in trouble now.”
Gilbert entered the tent carrying a pan of hot cream soup. As they ate, Jim told them about the Machame trail, which was similar to their route along Lemosho Glades, but shorter. They had spent one night in the rainforest at Machame Hut before hiking up to Shira Two.
The tension between Jim and his son was palpable, but Brad loosened up a bit as they ate. Nikki peppered him with questions, enough to learn that he too was a recent high school grad, bound for college in the fall.
After lunch, they retreated two by two to their tents to escape the relentless wind.
Mary Kate spread out her sleeping bag and opened her journal. There was barely enough room to sit up inside the tent, and only then, if she leaned toward the center. “I haven’t written anything since Big Tree.”
“How are your hands and feet?”
She opened and closed her palms a few times. “Fine. The tingling’s gone.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Yeah, if that’s the only thing I have to deal with, I’ll consider myself lucky.” Though she felt physically fine for now, she couldn’t shake her anxiety that the altitude would suddenly hit her hard. That’s what many people had described. “Are you feeling anything at all from the altitude?”
“No, but I’m worried about Courtney. She skipped breakfast and lunch. I wouldn’t be surprised if she turns back tomorrow.”
“At least she ate one of the energy bars. She doesn’t seem invested in the climb so much, and I can’t imagine putting up with it if you aren’t having fun.”
“Me neither.”
Addison gestured at the journal. “So what are you writing in there?”
“Just what we did every day, what we saw, what we ate. I want to be able to tell Deb all about it.”
“That’s your friend back home?”
“Yeah, the one with the bumper sticker like your keychain.”
Despite her earlier warnings to herself to tread carefully, Addison couldn’t suppress her desire to know how Mary Kate viewed her. “You writing anything bad about me in there? She might like evil lesbian stories.”
“I should tell her that you laughed at me when I fell and hurt myself.”
“You did not hurt yourself.”
“No, but you didn’t know that when you started laughing.” With a smug look in place, she began to write. “And if you ever come to Mooresville to visit me, Deb will kick your ass.”
“Is that an invitation?”
“Sure, but I should warn you there’s nothing to see.”
“If I came, it would be to see you.” An alarm went off in her head that said she was very close to flirting. “I heard that all of you southerners keep shotguns in your pickup trucks.”
“Now just because we don’t jet off to London and South America doesn’t mean we’re all rednecks.”
“I deserved that,” Addison said, feeling mildly admonished. Snobbery was definitely not on the list of traits she wanted to highlight.
“Besides, I didn’t say she’d shoot your ass. We save that for Yankees who come down and try to tell us how to do things, and you don’t qualify.”
“Lucky me. I don’t know about you, but I can’t believe I had a bath just last night. I’m filthy again.” She held out her hand to show the black dirt that had gathered under her fingernails.
“I have that too, and washing doesn’t help.”
“It’s like soot. I hate to think where else it is.”
“That’s what the baby wipes are for,” Mary Kate said. “Next time you go to the latrine, you should take one.”
“Hmm. I was thinking about it being in my ears. What were you thinking about?”
Mary Kate sighed and rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe you keep letting me step in it like that. I promise I will pay you back in the worst way.”
Addison stretched out on top of her sleeping bag and watched discreetly as Mary Kate scribbled into the small notebook. It was cute how her tongue peeked out the corner of her mouth in concentration. Many things about Mary Kate were cute, she admitted, and she had seen all of them. She didn’t look much like the other women Addison had found interesting over the years—nothing at all like either the elegant Pilar or the emaciated Celia. Mary Kate probably wouldn’t appreciate hearing that she looked wholesome, but that’s exactly what Addison saw. There was nothing about her appearance or the way she carried herself that seemed phony, and that went for her personality as well.
Addison hoped she was giving off that aura to Mary Kate as well. She was used to playing the game in Miami, where everyone was someone else underneath. There was no need for pretense here in Africa.
She was relieved there wasn’t any apparent fallout from her blunder the day before at the creek. Whatever had possessed her to pick up Mary Kate’s towel and dry her back? It was as if her subconscious had known already what she just realized today. There was no mistaking that the gesture had surprised Mary Kate. It was something she might have done for a lover—or at least for someone familiar—certainly not for a straight woman she barely knew.
Mary Kate suddenly closed her notebook and rolled onto her side facing Addison. “I’m so tired.”
“Huh?” Addison realized she had been dozing and sat up. Their backpacks lay at their feet. “How’s your water? I should get it ready for tomorrow.”
&nbs
p; “I can do it if you want. I only got about three hours of sleep last night, but you didn’t get any.”
“That’s okay. I don’t want to fall asleep this afternoon or I’ll be up all night again. I thought I’d wait until after dinner.”
“That’s probably a good idea. It’s after four already, so dinner should be ready before long.”
They pulled on their boots and crawled outside, where Gilbert was bringing bowls into the empty dining tent. Mary Kate went from one tent to the next calling people to dinner while Addison set up the water station and, with Neal’s help, began filling bottles. By the time they finished, dinner was underway.
Luke came in as they were stacking the plates. “Tomorrow is our longest hike, about seven hours. We go to Barranco Hut, which is our most beautiful campsite.”
Addison was glad that hadn’t been today’s hike. She might never have made it.
“We climb three hundred meters tomorrow, but it will not be steep. All must drink the water.”
Mei smiled as everyone looked in her direction. “About a thousand feet.”
As they scattered toward their respective tents, Nikki tripped over a stake in the narrow pathway between her tent and that of Drew and Kirby. Luckily, Jim was there to catch her elbow before she fell.
“Careful.”
“No kidding. You guys better watch your step.”
When they crawled back into their tent, Mary Kate pulled out the long johns she had slept in every night so far. “You know, when I packed for this trip, I made up this thing called a two-day rule. I planned on wearing everything in my bag for two days.”
“Right, but you gave two pairs of socks and a T-shirt to Drew.”
She waved a hand flippantly. “I’ve got plenty of socks. I rinsed out a pair yesterday. But I hadn’t planned on wearing long johns to bed on the very first night. I’ve only got one more set, so I’m going to have to wear each of them for four days.”
“That makes two of us, so I won’t complain if you start to smell a little. I’ll just put my earplugs in my nose.”
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