‘I’ll figure something out.’
‘Dump it.’
‘Sarah, I know you’re hurt by what I did, but…’
Sarah hung up the phone. She couldn’t bear to listen to his flimsy excuses for upending their lives. There were more practical matters to deal with. Sarah poked her head out of the tipi to check no one was around, then carried the chamber pot behind the tipi and emptied it in the undergrowth.
‘What you got there?’
Sarah groaned as Felix jogged across the field, full of the joys of spring. His timing was impeccable. ‘Nothing,’ she said, holding the chamber pot behind her back.
‘An essential part of camping,’ he said, peering behind her.
‘If you don’t mind, I’d like a little privacy.’
‘Sure. You must have slept well. I popped my head in around nine and you were dead to the world.’
‘You came into my tipi?’
‘Not inside. I just had a little squint through the door.’
‘I’d rather you don’t do that again.’
‘Sure, no problem. Are you heading to the shower? I can show you how it works if you like? It’s temperamental.’
Sarah swallowed down impatience. She was plenty old enough to shower by herself. ‘I think I can manage.’
‘All right, well the offer’s there if you have any problems.’
Sarah walked back to her tipi and gathered up her wash bag and clothes. She braved the nettles and brambles to get to the shower and took a deep breath before walking into the primitive facilities. Sarah’s heart sank as she closed the door and looked around the small room. There wasn’t even a proper sink, just an old metal bucket with a hole drilled into the bottom. What kind of place was this?
After checking the door was locked, Sarah undressed and stepped into the shower cubicle. Moss poked its way through the wooden walls and she shivered as a chill breeze met her through holes in the tin roof. She turned on the shower and screamed as a blast of icy water hit her skin. Despite a good five minutes fiddling with the shower controls, she couldn’t get the water above tepid. With a deep breath, she jumped back under the water, washing as fast as she could.
Sarah had read about people who took cold showers by choice.Weirdos, she thought, scrubbing herself dry and flinging on clothes to warm up. Felix was hanging up pants and socks on a line outside his tipi when she arrived back.
‘How was the shower?’
‘Lovely,’ Sarah said, giving an involuntary shiver that caused Felix’s lips to curl into a smirk. ‘Don’t tell me you’ve been washing your clothes in the river?’ she asked, trying to avoid looking at his boxer shorts.
‘No, we’re not that primitive. There’s a washer and dryer in the café, but I prefer to air dry my clothes. Saves on electricity.’
‘Bloody eco warriors’, muttered Sarah under her breath.
‘What are your plans today?’
‘Nothing much. I thought I’d explore the woods a bit.’
‘Want some company?’
‘No.’
Felix laughed and disappeared into his tipi. Sarah wished she hadn’t said she was exploring. Now he’d ask her about it so she’d have to do some walking. Sarah wasn’t a fan of nature. It was all right in a well-kept park, but the wildness of the forest scared her. There could be anything out there amongst the dank, moss-covered trees and muddy footpaths. Give her a shopping mall or tarmacked roads any day.
With boots on and a raincoat stashed in her bag, Sarah set off into the woods. She came across a noticeboard, the different routes colour-coded for difficulty level. Opting for the easiest wheelchair and pushchair friendly path, Sarah began walking. Her face warmed as she strode along the gentle incline, the forest opening up, the curling river at its base falling away as her feet carried her up. ‘Wheelchair friendly? How unfit must I be?’ Sarah muttered to herself, wiping her brow and taking deep lungfuls of air.
Footsteps sounded on the path behind her, and Sarah turned to see Felix jogging up to her.
‘Are you following me?’
