Olivia #2
Olivia followed his gaze and nearly gasped out loud at the sight before her.
As much as she was loath to admit it, the other guests had been right.
The building in itself was impressive, but seeing the sun rise over the glistening white marble, throwing its pink-and-orange light like rivers of silk until the entire building was drowned in a rosy glow, was simply breathtaking.
The sounds around them seemed to have been muted; the cries of bored and restless children, the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ and clicking cameras of the other tourists, were all silenced.
All Olivia could sense was the magic of the moment, the wonder that lay before her.
It truly was the greatest labour of love the world had ever seen, and she found a tiny part of herself thanking Leah for giving her the chance to witness it.
‘I’ll bet you want a picture of this to show your sister when you get home,’ Betty trilled in her ear, as if Olivia had spoken her thoughts of Leah out loud. ‘Do you want me to take one for you?’
Olivia, who was still mesmerized by the view in front of her, was caught off guard by the offer, and before she had a chance to fully register what was happening, Betty had somehow manoeuvred her into position and was reaching for her camera.
‘No,’ Olivia yelped, realization dawning. ‘No, honestly, it’s fine. I don’t want a pi—’
‘Nonsense!’ Betty grinned, her finger already happily clicking away. ‘You have to remember this moment. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.’
Olivia tried to force her tense jaw into some sort of smile, but all she could think about was Betty’s haunting words.
To show your sister when you get home.
A deep well of grief opened up inside her, carving a hole right through her centre. It should be Leah standing here, having her photo taken. It should be Leah dancing under the magenta sky and drinking in the incredible views. Except it wasn’t, and it never would be.
‘Are you OK, dear?’ Betty dropped the camera and cocked her head. ‘You look a little off all of a sudden. Did you eat anything before we left? I don’t even have a snack with me.’ She began digging her hands in her pockets, in search of sustenance.
‘The poor lass is probably overwhelmed by you forcing her into a bloody photoshoot,’ Peter quipped, pulling his wife towards him. ‘Leave her be, woman, and come and get into a picture with me. I think I’ve finally mastered this selfie thing our Annie was telling us about.’
Olivia watched as the elderly couple strained to fit themselves and the gigantic Taj Mahal into the tiny phone screen Peter was holding aloft.
‘Betty love, just move your head a bit to the left,’ he instructed through gritted teeth, his smile fixed and unwavering.
‘I can’t, your blasted shoulder is there,’ she replied, through the same frozen grin.
‘Ah, to be old and so in love.’ Tracey sighed next to her. ‘You fancy taking a walk together and letting those love birds be?’
‘Erm …’ Olivia’s entire body screamed no. ‘Yeah, OK. Sure.’
‘Great, let’s head this way.’ Tracey nodded to the left.
The pair began to weave their way through the grounds, closer towards the imposing white building.
‘I meant what I said, by the way: it’s great to see a young girl adventuring on her own. Not enough of us do it.’
‘Mmmm.’ Olivia wondered how great Tracey would think it was if she knew the true reason why she’d come, and that she was hating every second of it.
‘Do you know where you’re heading next, or is it more of a … see where the wind takes you kind of trip? Wake up in the morning and say, hell yeah, today I feel like going to Mumbai!’
Even the thought of such recklessness made Olivia’s stomach churn.
‘No. I’ve got a fixed plan.’
‘I see.’ Tracey’s disappointment at Olivia’s apparent lack of spontaneity was clear. ‘So, the next stop on the agenda is?’
‘Tonight, I head to Jaipur for five days. Then to Jodhpur, Udaipur, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and finally three weeks in Goa.’ Olivia recited her itinerary as easily as if it were written out in front of her. ‘I’ll head back to Delhi and fly home from there.’
‘No!’
‘Erm … yes?’
‘No way!’
Olivia looked around her to check if Tracey’s disbelief was aimed at something other than her.
‘Yes. That’s my plan. Why?’
‘Because I’m going to Jaipur tonight too.’
If insides could crash and burn, Olivia’s would have instantly turned to ashes.
‘Oh, really?’
‘Yes!’
‘Tonight?’ Olivia pressed, praying that there was some miscommunication occurring between the two.
‘Yes, Livvy, tonight!’ Tracey whooped, sending a group of pigeons near by fleeing for their lives. ‘Would you look at that? The solo travellers can become a duo!’
No, they can’t.
They 100 per cent can’t.
‘The thing is, I’m on quite a tight schedule.’
‘Great, I need someone to kick me into touch. Otherwise, knowing me, I won’t get there until midnight.’
‘I have a very specific train I need to catch.’
‘Brilliant. I love travelling by train. It’s the best way to see the country. What time are you heading?’
Olivia was desperate now, clinging to every possible excuse and escape route. ‘I don’t know – it depends how quickly I finish at the other tourist sites this afternoon. I have a lot to see.’
‘Hold on.’ Tracey’s face crumpled in confusion. ‘I thought you said you had a specific time to leave?’
‘I do, but also, you know what it’s like out here …’ Olivia felt the heat prickle along the back of her neck. ‘Things never go to plan.’
‘You’re damn right about that, kid! But hey, you just tell me where to be and when, and I’ll do it. Travelling by yourself is great, but if the offer of company is there, I am not going to say no.’
Olivia swallowed hard, her mouth dry and her body temperature rising rapidly.
There must be a way out of this. Could she lose Tracey after the Taj and sneak off without being noticed?
Tell her to meet her at the station and then jump on an earlier train?
She knew it was cruel, but surely there had to be a way to escape being lumbered with this woman for any longer than she had to.
‘Shall we keep walking, Livvo?’ Tracey placed a solid
hand on her shoulder, pulling Olivia out of her spiralling thoughts. ‘You want to make sure you’ve got plenty of time for the rest of your activities if we are going to make that train later, hey?’
‘Yeah …’ Olivia bit down hard on her tongue, her jaw clenching almost as tightly as her fists. ‘Yeah, we do.’
‘Blimey, what a turn-up for the books! Jaipur, watch out, because here we come!’