BooksBarbecue
Back With or Without You Save as PDF
Chapters (84)
  1. Chapter one
  2. Chapter two
  3. Chapter three
  4. Chapter four
  5. Chapter five
  6. Chapter six
  7. Chapter seven
  8. Chapter eight
  9. Chapter nine
  10. Chapter ten
  11. Chapter eleven
  12. Chapter twelve
  13. Chapter thirteen
  14. Chapter fourteen
  15. Chapter fifteen
  16. Chapter sixteen
  17. Chapter seventeen
  18. Chapter eighteen
  19. Chapter nineteen
  20. Chapter twenty
  21. Chapter twenty-one
  22. Chapter twenty-two
  23. Chapter twenty-three
  24. Chapter twenty-four
  25. Chapter twenty-five
  26. Chapter twenty-six
  27. Chapter twenty-seven
  28. Chapter twenty-eight
  29. Chapter twenty-nine
  30. Chapter thirty
  31. Chapter thirty-one
  32. Chapter thirty-two
  33. Chapter thirty-three
  34. Chapter thirty-four
  35. Chapter thirty-five
  36. Chapter thirty-six
  37. Chapter thirty-seven
  38. Chapter thirty-eight
  39. Chapter thirty-nine
  40. Chapter forty
  41. Chapter forty-one
  42. Chapter forty-two
  43. Chapter forty-three
  44. Chapter forty-four
  45. Chapter forty-five
  46. Chapter forty-six
  47. Chapter forty-seven
  48. Chapter forty-eight
  49. Chapter forty-nine
  50. Chapter fifty
  51. Chapter fifty-one
  52. Chapter fifty-two
  53. Chapter fifty-three
  54. Chapter fifty-four
  55. Chapter fifty-five
  56. Chapter fifty-six
  57. Chapter fifty-seven
  58. Chapter fifty-eight
  59. Chapter fifty-nine
  60. Chapter sixty
  61. Chapter sixty-one
  62. Chapter sixty-two
  63. Chapter sixty-three
  64. Chapter sixty-four
  65. Chapter sixty-five
  66. Chapter sixty-six
  67. Chapter sixty-seven
  68. Chapter sixty-eight
  69. Chapter sixty-nine
  70. Chapter seventy
  71. Chapter seventy-one
  72. Chapter seventy-two
  73. Chapter seventy-three
  74. Chapter seventy-four
  75. Chapter seventy-five
  76. Chapter seventy-six
  77. Chapter seventy-seven
  78. Chapter seventy-eight
  79. Chapter seventy-nine
  80. Chapter eighty
  81. Chapter eighty-one
  82. Chapter eighty-two
  83. Chapter eighty-three
  84. Chapter eighty-four

‘I don’t know,’ Jake sighed. ‘But I’m going to strike while the iron’s hot. I’ll do it today.’

‘Not possible,’ Pip said, shaking his head.

‘Why?’ Jake asked. ‘Do you know something else that I don’t?’

‘Probably, mate.’ Pip chewed at his lip. He gave his friend a sympathetic glance. ‘Alec is in Milan too.’

Chapter thirty-eight

Chapter thirty-eight

I have survived another day. And that feels like no mean achievement. We’ve trekked for about seven hours and I’m pretty sure that’s farther than I’ve ever walked in my entire life. The path took us through oak and rhododendron forests and I’ve vowed that one day I’ll come back in the spring when the primulas and orchids are in full bloom. I spend the afternoon walking with Dave the divorce lawyer and Jim the undercover cop—I’ve discovered they have disastrous love lives too and that makes me feel a lot better. I couldn’t face Tony and Tania, as they are too loved up and I thought it might take the shine off my good mood. Saffron has hooked up with Felix and Felicity and they’ve been putting the world to right since they discovered they are all posh socialists. Ian and Graham have been surprisingly macho and are striding ahead with Sanjeev Sherpa and Dean while another Sherpa guide, Tek, is left to round up the stragglers. I think there must have been a mirage of cold beer urging them on. A hot bath and a quick rubdown with some Deep Heat would work for me.

Tonight’s camp is in an open meadow within striking distance of the village of Sikklis and dominated by a fantastic view of the peak of Machhapuchhre. The thought of being in a tent again holds less dread—particularly as I’ve noticed I’m parked next to Dean once more.

I’ve gratefully dumped all my gear, thus rendering my humble abode an instant bombsite, and am airing my hot, throbbing feet while I sit and drink my smoky, black tea. My major preoccupation is wondering which bits of me I can get into my bowl of water and in what order. I want to wash my hair but there’s no way I’d do it after my feet have been anywhere near it. Is this really the same woman who is used to a shower every morning and a bubble bath every night? Dean saunters up to me.

‘You look like you’re contemplating the cares of the world,’ he says as he sits down.

‘No.’ I give him a wry smile. ‘I’m contemplating much loftier issues.’

He waits for me to continue.

‘I don’t know whether to wash my feet or my hair. Or quite how I’m going to manage it.’