by Mark Green
“You did it Angel! A blind girl completing the Inca Trail. Well done,” said Jonny, releasing his hand.
“We did it together.”
I found myself grinning at the achievement and almost wished we were alone to share this moment. I felt comfortable with this man I couldn’t see. A man whose upbringing, job and outlook on life had differed so much to my own at the beginning of our travels. I’d almost forgotten how we first got together, until Bozzer, sitting opposite me, asked that question;
“So, how did you guys meet?”
There was a long pause.
“Kind of a dating agency,” said Jonny.
I smiled, nodding my head in agreement.
“What’s kind of a dating agency?” said Bozzer, pushing the point.
Now it was my turn to jump in and head off the connection they were bound to make.
“A charity auction. Up for grabs was a date in London with Superman. I won Jonny.”
It was one of those inspired answers that has everyone second-guessing exactly what’s meant, including me.
“Superman?”
Shit! Think woman, fast!
“Yup, he had the costume and everything. Of course I had to rely on my friend Maria to describe every curve and bump under the Lycra. Jonny will forgive me for saying this, but he wasn’t as fit and muscular back then. In fact he was described to me as being on the chubby side of cute. But for me, any man willing to stand up and make fun of himself, had to be worth talking to.”
* *
Me
It was a good recovery, I thought we’d been found out for sure. I held my breath as I glanced around the table, realising that everyone had put their own conversations on hold to listen to ours. I waited for the next question.
“How how much does Superman go for these days?” said Madge.
“There was a lot of interest and I was almost at the point of ducking out at a hundred quid. But then I had an inspired idea. I stood up and said I’d strip for five hundred pounds in order to secure my date with Superman. Several drunken businessmen clubbed together. And that’s how it all started.”
They were almost taken in, but not quite. It was time for an Oscar-winning closing performance. I took a deep breath, and put on my best poker face.
“But that’s not quite the end of the story, is it darling?”
I watched KT2 smile and turn towards my voice, amused that I’d stepped in to up the ante.
“No. You tell them,” she said, handing me an imaginary shovel to dig myself an even deeper hole.
“That set a precedent in the auction room. The stakes had gone up in a totally unexpected manner. A group of footballers’ wives turned Angel’s little ploy on its head. They decided to save her dignity at the expense of mine. So they offered to up the bid to a thousand pounds if Superman would strip down to reveal Clark Kent, in his birthday suit.”
I shook my head and dropped it forwards into my hands to hide my grin from the group. Together we’d dreamt up an answer to a simple question far beyond the realms of belief. But somehow we seemed to have pulled it off.
“So did you?” asked Samantha, totally taken in.
I felt KT2 drape her arm over my shoulder.
“We’re here aren’t we? Hearing the ladies gasp as every inch of Superman was stripped bare, sold me on him. We’ve been together ever since.”
* *
My God, how we howled into our sleeping bags later that evening, until the tears streamed down our faces. We were only trying to avoid the whole so you’re the Kate Thornly conversation. Instead we’d spun such a ridiculous story, in such a convincing way, that they’d all believed it — how mad is that?!
* *
At last we seemed to have shrugged off the whole eBay-find-me-a-girl-with-the-same-name-as-my-ex-girlfriend thing, and it felt good!
I found myself grinning that we’d left all that behind and because I hadn’t thought about work in a month. Granted it had been a pretty intense learning curve taking on KT2. (Perhaps she’d had the tougher job taking on me?) But we were getting through that stage now and I realised I was not only relaxed but actually really enjoying myself, something that hadn’t happened for a few years. And this evening had been hilarious. I’d been wiping the tears of laughter away ever since we’d got back to the sanctuary of our own tent. We lay there giggling and talking for hours.
We must have slept eventually because Bob needed a whistle outside our tent to rouse us. It took a few seconds to register before excitement kicked in and I realised where we were and what lay ahead. Machu Picchu was waiting! I sat up, barely registering that KT2 and I had been cuddled up together, making like spoons.
The next couple of hours were a blur; packing up and breakfast were accomplished in near darkness on auto-pilot. All around us torches flickered and danced as everyone hurried to break camp.
After a hasty breakfast we followed behind the excited crowd, hand in hand, the dating agency auction couple on their way to the next adventure.
The last stages of the Inca Trail were fairly flat, but the large stones were slippery underfoot. We slowed down in case we tripped over, so by the time we arrived at the entrance to the Sun Gate, we were bringing up the rear of the group. But we didn’t care, we’d made it!
Now though, there was the small matter of eighty of the steepest steps I’ve ever seen. Waiting for us at the top, looking down anxiously was Bob. He signalled to me — did we want a hand? I glanced at KT2, who was waiting patiently for me to lead us up to the Sun Gate.
“Very steep steps Angel. Bob is offering to help…”
“Can we make it on our own? I’d like to try, if you think it’s possible,” she said.
I glanced up again, then shook my head at Bob, raising my hand to thank him.
“Let’s try. Ready?” I said and reached down for her hand.
“One step at a time, no problem,” she said, squeezing my fingers.
Bob watched us from the top as we slowly climbed on all fours, feeling our way.
Step by step, we slowly climbed towards the Sun Gate.
* *
KT2
I couldn’t feel any steps in front of me. At last we were at the top!
Under Jonny’s guiding hand I straightened up to a round of applause and cheering from the rest of our group. Who would have thought a month ago, I’d be standing here, a blind woman at the entrance to the lost city?! I had to tighten my grip on Jonny’s hand to steady myself. Perhaps I was giddy from lack of sleep, the altitude, or maybe it was the emotion of the achievement as adrenaline surged through my body. Whatever it was, I felt elated and quite literally on top of the world.
As we walked forwards I didn’t have to prompt Jonny to tell me what he saw, I could take my pick of who to listen to; Bob, two or three other guides or any number of excited trekkers. Their enthusiastic voices filled the fresh morning air.
“…the lost city of Machu Picchu, appearing to hover on the top of a mountain, a perfect defensive position to ward off enemies… surrounded by lush greenery… mesmerising symmetrical terraces and exactly proportional buildings, almost as if it’s still under construction …”
“Well done KT2,” Jonny whispered as he swept me up in a bear hug. Then we walked over to the edge of the Sun Gate where everyone was waiting for a group photo to mark the occasion.
Jonny painted an amazing picture of Machu Picchu through the morning mist. He said on first glance it looked like tightly spaced contours all swirling in the same direction, like you’d see on an ordinance survey map. Then as the cloud patches drifted past, the patterns carved into the mountain top sharpened into precise rows and tiers of stone set out amongst grassy terraced areas. It looked like a miniature medieval village from this distance, surrounded by bushy greenery way down the slopes, deep in the surrounding valleys.
The mysterious lost city was now within an easy walk. There was something about this place, spiritual and unbroken by time. I couldn’t stop smiling. Bob wa
s right, it was truly magical.
“Do you feel it Jonny? The strength of this creation? Shut your eyes. Take a moment to blank out everything else, concentrate, lose yourself in this moment. Do you feel it?”
* *
Me
I turned back to face Machu Picchu and closed my eyes, trying to put myself in KT2’s shoes to experience what she did. And then, it happened. I felt something.
Was it tiredness playing tricks on me? My imagination running wild? Who knows? The sensation climbed from the pit of my stomach, radiating through my limbs. A glow that was real, and for the first time in my life, I felt I was actually right there, living in the moment, soaking up a tremendous energy. I made a conscious effort to try and lock the feeling away.
I prised my eyes open, blinking back the wetness.
“I think you felt it too,” she said softly, squeezing my hand.
I felt myself nodding. I tried to analyse what had just happened, quickly realising that I couldn’t and shouldn’t. There would be plenty of time for that some other day. For now I’d just go with it, let my emotions run free. I tried to speak, but couldn’t find any words.
“This day may be a turning point for you,” said KT2. I squeezed her hand in acknowledgement, and without saying anything more, we made our way from the Sun Gate to follow the path towards the lost city.
Up close, it’s the scale of Machu Picchu that staggers you. And the construction is so precise, each building or terrace wall perfectly dovetailing into the next; a huge intricate jigsaw puzzle with giant boulder size pieces. No flaws or mistakes. It’s completely captivating.
* *
I stood quietly in the centre and watched KT2 trace the outline of the huge stone blocks with her hands, shaking her head at the precision.
“Not even the slightest gap. How on earth, with only basic tools, did they engineer this so exactly?”
“The weight alone baffles me. How did they move the stones?” I said.
“A great mystery indeed, Jonathan Cork.”
I frowned and turned to look over my shoulder. Stepping out from behind a wall was a rather hot and sweaty British television journalist, complete with cameraman and soundman.
I’m not joking.
Justin’s sheepish grin completed the entourage. Simon, the reporter thrust a microphone in my face and started firing daft questions at us, to the bemusement of our fellow trekkers. I turned away, unable to believe my eyes as a sick feeling churned in my stomach.
Twenty
KT2
All I needed to hear was Jonny’s words “…what the hell…” to know we’d been rumbled. That was when things got really weird and really surreal, really quickly.
“Kate Thornly, are you happy with your eBay purchase? Has Jonathan met up to expectations? What does your husband think about you running away with another man?” asked Simon, the slime ball reporter.
Oh shit!
The great shame of that day, other than shattering the magic of Machu Picchu, was how it undermined our bond with the group. It looked as though we’d deliberately set out to deceive our new friends.
Only Bob saw the funny side straightaway. It seems the story of the search for another Kate Thornly had made it all the way to Peru. He probably knew from our application forms for the trek. So that was why Jonny had commented on his mischievous smile whenever they made eye contact.
Bob now came to our aid and shooed away the film crew on the grounds of the site’s religious and historical importance. He asked them to please be respectful and to not disturb the spirits. It was a welcome respite, but would only delay the onslaught for a few minutes.
That left us in an awkward predicament with the group. I stood there feeling ashamed that we’d spun such a story and hidden the truth of how we met. As Bob’s chuckling subsided, the silence became unbearable. I opened my mouth to speak, but Jonny jumped in first.
* *
Me
“I’m sorry guys. I’d never have thought there would be so much interest in us. For those of you who don’t know the eBay story, my ex-girlfriend, Kate Thornly, ran off with a plumber a week before we were due to set off on this trip. The tickets couldn’t be changed, so I advertised for a replacement, but this new person also had to be called Kate Thornly, who you all know as Angel. We’re not together in the traditional sense, nor did we meet at a charity auction. We’d just got fed up with all the eBay attention, so we used a little artistic licence, for which I apologise. We’ll take this film crew away and let you enjoy the rest of your time here. We really are very sorry.”
I didn’t know what else to say. It wasn’t fair to screw up their day too.
“You’ll meet us for the meal later?” said Bob.
I shrugged, not sure how the rest of the day was going to pan out.
“Please come. We would all like to say goodbye after sharing this journey together. It’s bad luck not to come along,” he added as he shook my hand and squeezed KT2’s shoulder.
There was a general murmur of agreement in the group and as I glanced around, the faces of our travel companions showed mostly warmth and friendship, despite looking a bit bemused.
“Thank you. We’ll see you all later,” said KT2, as we sheepishly shuffled away, both in a bit of a daze.
This wasn’t really happening, was it?
Twenty One
Me
“What are you doing here mate? And who the bloody hell are you?!” I said, turning from Justin to face Simon.
“They’ve been pestering me since the day you guys left. I held out as long as I could, but their offer is amazing. A hundred grand for your exclusive story. That would set you up, buy you all the travel time you want...”
Simon slid some paperwork across the bar next to my untouched beer. I stared at it for a long moment, then picked it up and flicked through the pages. It had a contract stapled to the back for me to sign.
“Think about it. A hundred grand.”
“Fifty,” I corrected him.
“Huh?” said Simon.
I turned to face Justin.
“There are two of us in this and I don’t mean me and you, mate.”
“Okay, fifty grand. You could still do a lot with that,” said Simon.
“It’s not worth the sacrifice.”
“What sacrifice?! You don’t look too good fella, you’re a mess. Can’t be much fun, going from one shitty hostel to the next. No hot water to shave, no time to get a haircut...” said Simon.
I started to laugh.
“He’s right mate. I nearly didn’t recognise you,” said Justin.
“That’s the whole point of travelling, to become someone else, break away from all that London life bullshit,” I said.
“All expenses paid for the rest of your trip and fifty grand in your pocket. But that’s just for starters. You’ll be a celebrity. Which means advertising endorsements, party invites, more money...” said Simon.
“And all that comes with a hefty price tag,” I said, cutting him off in full flow.
“A hundred isn’t enough? I’ve got some leeway on this, so let’s talk. What are you looking for?”
I’d had enough of Simon’s sales pitch. I shrugged and took a sip from my beer, turning my back on him.
“Kate asked me to give you this. She’s worried about you.”
Justin pushed an envelope towards me. I took it without a word. For the first time since I’d sat down, I started questioning my wisdom in being thousands of miles from home. I turned to face Simon, resisting the temptation to punch his slimy smug face.
“Remind me again of my obligations, if we sign,” I said.
* *
KT2
This had to be the weirdest day so far, and not in an adventurous, exciting kind of way. I felt completely deflated. Our magical bubble had been popped, just as we’d started to relax and have a real laugh together. I sat quietly with Jonny in our hotel room as he finished reading the ‘contract’ out loud.
&nbs
p; “So if we agree to be shadowed by the film crew for the next couple of months, we get the rest of the trip paid for and fifty thousand each?” I said.
“Yes.”
“Is that what you really want? Being followed around, unable to make your own decisions and having to perform for the camera every day? Baring your soul to millions?”
“I didn’t manufacture this. Justin thought he was doing me a favour. A bit like Maria stitching you up,” he said.
* *
Me
Ouch. I saw the words touch a nerve.
“That’s not what I asked. Is this what you want?” she said.
“We both need to sign up to this. I don’t deny the money would come in handy…”
“For what? It’s not going to make a difference to me,” she said.
There was a long silence as I thought everything through.
“Maybe there’s someone else who might benefit. Your husband for example?”
KT2 sat back and folded her arms across her chest.
“That’s a cheap shot Jonny. I’d rather you just respect the fact I had a life before that stupid advert!”
“And I’d rather you’d already mentioned something that important! Perhaps when we met for the first time in the hotel lobby?”
I couldn’t hide the anger and sarcasm from my voice.
“You could have asked!”
“Why the hell would I? You don’t wear a ring!” I shouted back.
I stopped myself as the altitude made me catch my breath. I took several deep breaths, surprised and confused at the intensity of my reaction. Why were my emotions so all over the place? Why did it matter so much to me that KT2 wasn’t available? I felt my shoulders sag and I slumped down on the edge of the bed.
“What a bloody mess,” I said, completely deflated.
“I’m not divorced Jonny, but I haven’t been married for some time. It’s complicated. I don’t know where to begin… there are things I have to ask you too, but the timing is…”
