‘Hello!’ a loud cheery voice called from behind. ‘Is everything OK?’
Olivia whipped her head round and stared aghast at the receptionist, whose beads of sweat were dripping from his skin on to her rucksack.
‘No,’ she cried. ‘Everything is not OK. I need another room.’
‘Why?’ He put his head inside and peered around. ‘Is there a problem?’
‘Yes! This doesn’t look anything like the pictures in the guidebook. Do you have any bigger ones? Anynewerones?’
Olivia hated how highly strung she sounded, but the emotions of the day were proving too much.
‘Sorry, no. They are all the same as this one.’
‘Oh.’ Olivia felt her chest swell with emotion. ‘I see.’
‘Good.’ The man nodded, clearly satisfied that he’d rectified the situation. ‘Can I get you anything else?’
A litre of bleach and an air freshener?
Olivia was speechless. Her entire body was frozen in shock. What were her options?
Return to the airport and fly straight back to London?
Less than twenty-four hours after arriving?
Leave and find somewhere else?
Not without the ability to google a half-decent hotel.
‘Actually’ – Olivia’s logical brain kicked into action – ‘I need to buy a SIM card for my phone. Do you know where I can get one from?’
‘Sure, come down to reception and I’ll give you directions.’
‘Thank you.’ Olivia clenched her jaw and tentatively took her backpack from his grasp. ‘I’ll be down in a bit.’
‘No worries. Enjoy!’ the man trilled brightly, giving a small bow before scuttling off down the hallway.
Olivia willed back the tears that were stinging her eyes. She looked at the bed, with its faded, brown sheets and pink, knitted blanket. Who knew how many sweaty bodies had laid themselves down between those sheets? How manythings other than their dreams had they left behind for the next person to sleep on? Olivia shuddered at the thought. She just needed to get her phone sorted and she could make a new plan from there. Simple.
Jacob
The second he’d stepped off the plane, India had welcomed him in the only way it knew how: with a blaze of heat, and a wave of pandemonium. It had taken him the briefest of seconds to acclimatize, before his body remembered how it felt to be here, to know the place as home, and to settle into the erratic rhythm that was the heartbeat of the country.
Jacob rarely allowed himself moments for reflection, but he couldn’t help remembering how differently he had arrived each time he’d set foot in the country. The first time, way back when he had just begun his adventures, he had touched down with a bag the size of a small human. It was filled to bursting with clothes and toiletries and books and shoes. Everything he thought he needed. The bare minimum for survival. However, it didn’t take long for those so-called necessities to become surplus. With each new place he roamed, he craved lightness and freedom, letting go of his past by relinquishing thethingsfrom his past. Now, upon his arrival for the third time, Jacob only carried with him a small backpack and a bum bag. Lighter, easier and farsimpler. Not only to carry with him to new places, but also to leave behind old ones. Twelve hours after rolling his dice and finishing his birthday banana bread, Jacob had arrived in Delhi.
‘I have to admit, kiddo, I never thought I’d see your scrawny ass again,’ the large, gruff server chuckled, clearing Jacob’s plate away. ‘But I’m glad that you remembered us after all this time.’
As much as he loved exploring new places, Jacob had to admit that there were some benefits to revisiting old stomping grounds. Having been to Delhi multiple times, he knew exactly where to go for cheap accommodation that didn’t involve risking your life every time you closed your eyes; he knew what areas to avoid, how best to travel around and, most importantly of all, where to go for the best chai and eggs.
‘How could I forget this place? You do the best breakfast in town.’
‘Psht’ – the man kissed his teeth – ‘we do the best breakfast in India, boy. Now, do you want anything else?’
Jacob rocked back on his chair and surveyed the little cafe. It was hot and dusty, hidden in one of the many side alleys that carved their way through the city like a network of veins. The table of local men next to him had drunk their chai hastily, mopped their furrowed brows and departed back to the streets. Outside in the chaotic alleyway, groups of women huddled over huge vats of steaming food. The reds, greens and golds of their saris flashed brilliantly in the light. The sun was scorching, and the dust gathered in thick clouds. Cows mooed lazily as children screamed and danced recklessly amongst them. He could stay here for hours, drinking tea and watching the world go by. But he knew that life was far too short to waste people watching.
‘No, I’d better be off.’ Jacob stretched his arms to theceiling. ‘There’s the whole world out there to explore! An entire day to seize. Am I right?’
The man’s expression darkened in the face of Jacob’s optimism.
