Chapter 13
As the night of day eleven had been forecast to be the coldest yet
so far on the trek, David Lutman grabbed one of the camping gas lamps from the
van and placed it into his tent. He knew from experience that these lamps, when
lit, would give out considerable amounts of heat. And, he thought, also attract
bodies searching for warmth. Although he only wanted Claudia, he felt obliged
to invite both she and Kathrine inside his tent. And so they arrived together,
Kathrine bringing a bottle of wine.
A short time later Jeannie poked her head into the tent briefly,
looking for Kathrine. She helped herself to a glass of the wine and nodded to
her, winking at Lutman and exiting with a ‘see ya later’. An hour later,
Kathrine smiled, said goodnight, and left.
Claudia was just about to do the same, but this time Lutman almost
pleaded with her to stay for a
little longer. She smiled and agreed.
After five minutes of uncomfortable chat and silence, Lutman lay
down on his sleeping bag. Claudia followed suit, lying down next to him. She
did find his warmth reassuring, but did not get too much of her body close to
his. Lutman reached out and turned off the lamp. He then covered them both with
a blanket that he had picked up earlier on the trip. Their faces were almost
touching, but nothing was said as they just looked at each other.
Lutman just could not bring himself to make that move: to kiss
her, slowly first, then with a passion so she could no longer resist. Her face
was just not sending out that kind of message to him. What happened with
Caroline those short months ago had decimated his self-confidence. He could
only feel despair. Inside, he just wanted to weep.
Eventually it was Claudia who made a move. She kissed him on the
cheek and stood up. ‘Goodnight, David.’ She smiled, and made her way out and back
to her tent.
*
Everyone packed up early on day twelve. This was their last night
under canvas, and it was a StatesTrek
requirement that the group would completely clean all the camping equipment,
and that their tents to be ready for the next group upon their return to Los
Angeles. They still had one more evening on tour together, but this night would
be spent in a hotel.
After leaving the campsite at 11am, the group arrived in Las
Vegas. The weather here was a complete contrast to the below-freezing nighttime
temperatures they had experienced over the past few days. It was cloudy, but it
was warm - 25 degrees centigrade. Although most of the group’s ideas for an
evening out revolved looking around the city at night, for some of them Las
Vegas still seemed brash and visually extreme in broad daylight. In contrast, Cindy
and Marianne were visibly excited by it all.
They arrived at the Brown
Sands Tapestry hotel/casino, a place that lacked the splendor, glamour,
size and brashness of all the other hotels in the city. ‘Okay,’ shouted Janet
as she leaped out of the van, ‘let’s get everything out! We’re all sharing the
same floor. Let’s check in, then you can all do anything you like. But get back
here this evening at six so we can all see the city together!’
The prospect of seeing the city in all its nighttime glory –
either a desert wonderland or a city gaudy to the extreme – was not something David
Lutman found particularly thrilling. This is largely due to the fact that he
had been quiet most of the day, the cloud of disappointment of the previous
evening still hanging over him. As far as he was concerned, he had totally
bottled it last night. Claudia had opted to sit elsewhere in the van. For the
first time on the trip, he found himself sitting next to the Australian girls. With
that free afternoon looming, the group split up into their usual little units.
An hour after checking in at the Brown Sands, Kathrine declared that she wanted to visit a cosmetics
shop and to look around for a few clothes. Claudia agreed that this was a good
idea, and announced that she would like to go with her. Lutman tried his
hardest not to express his disappointment at this. He had hoped that he and
Claudia would still have some time for themselves; now that time was
agonisingly short. Aside from that evening, they had one more night back at the
hotel and their adventures would then be officially at an end. That would be
it. The trek would be over.
That initial dream of he and Claudia walking hand in hand along
the streets now seemed an eternity ago. Having a meal together in a quiet
restaurant was now certain to remain a dream. And saving the best for the
evening, he would have invited her out to the cinema and finally declared that
he loved her: now it was going to be another fanciful notion. And now what was
probably the only remaining opportunity for him to make that move had been
ruined by Kathrine’s wonderful shopping idea. Damn you, Kathrine! So this evening was going to be his last
chance. Ask her out, he kept telling himself, ask her out, for God's
sake! She is surely the one! Do it! Do it now! No… it’s still not the right
time…
Claudia asked if he wanted to join them. He had planned to buy a
pair of jeans. Looking at only women’s’ clothes and cosmetics and spending
hours just standing around with them would not be at all fun. But he perked up
when they suggested he go with them for a coffee first. But the problem
remained of Kathrine still being there. Well, tough, he thought, if
she’s there, she’s there. My time is almost up. It may well be my last chance.
*
After a few minutes in the coffee shop next door Lutman gave
Claudia a quick hug and a peck on her cheek. He could not understand why he
could not do something so simple as ask her out tonight. Kathrine chirpily
asked where her kiss was.
They split up outside, and Lutman, now thoroughly depressed,
headed towards a branch of Levi’s he had noticed two blocks away from the
hotel. Trying to focus on this immediate task, he decided that this was an ideal
opportunity to get a pair of name jeans at American prices.
He entered the larger-than-life glitzy air-conditioned store, not
failing to notice the obligatory one-armed bandit that seemed to be placed in
every Las Vegas store. This one had been placed smack in the center of the shop.
He made his way to the men’s section,
and then browsed through a selection of stone-washed jeans, searching the racks
until he could find the right waist and leg measurements. ‘Can’t believe these
prices!’ he audibly exclaimed as he picked out a suitable pair. ‘These are less
than half the price at home!’
‘I know they are,’ said a woman’s voice, ‘sounds like you’re
British!’
Lutman turned. ‘Oh, hi-’
And then he stopped.
Standing right in front of him by the opposite rack was the most
beautiful girl he had ever seen.
Chapter 14 >
Chapter 14 >
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