Chapter 6
DOMINIC
Platteklip Gorge, our route up Table Mountain, is – while perhaps not as challenging as one or two members of the group would have liked – a beautiful walk.
We didn’t come on this trip in the expectation of doing strenuous exercise, so no promises have been broken, and I’m more than happy with this route, which is in any case less straightforward than Maxim led us to believe, with a fairly steep set of natural rock steps zig-zagging up the mountain.
The views of the city, harbour and coastline are stunning, and we all comment that we love seeing them from different heights as we ascend.
I do struggle a little, though, to focus on our surroundings as much as I should.
I’m spending too much time surreptitiously checking on Flavia.
She’s one of the fitter members of the group physically, it seems, however much she didn’t want to do a challenging route, but she was definitely affected by what she was looking at on her phone earlier and has seemed a little distracted since then; I hope it wasn’t any difficult family news.
She doesn’t seem keen to catch my eye, so I don’t press my presence on her but walk instead with some of the others.
On arrival at the summit, we see that Table Mountain continues to live up to its reputation.
In my experience, not all top tourist attractions do, but it’s fantastic: our hiking efforts have been rewarded by even more stunning views from the top.
Apparently there’s a phenomenon called the ‘tablecloth’ that happens sometimes, where a blanket of clouds forms over the summit, but we’re lucky enough to escape it and have a great view of the surrounding peaks, the Atlantic, the city.
We all exclaim over the views and how wonderful it all is, almost as though we personally worked as a team and created it. Hugs are shared (I join in with everyone else) and amongst our group there’s a general sense of at-oneness with the world.
As we descend, a few of the fittest members of the party start mumbling under their breath in the face of the regular rest breaks that Maxim halts us for, and his insistence that we all remain together.
After a while, Mike talks about his Everest base camp trek again, and says that he doesn’t need to be insured and would like to go off by himself.
‘Terms and conditions of the trip,’ Maxim says, a little tersely.
‘Mike, noooo.’ Flavia leaps into the fray. ‘We’d miss you. We’re a group now. We’d miss your puns.’
Mike preens a little. He has indeed demonstrated a strong liking for a play on words.
Judith continues Flavia’s good work with a soothing hand on Mike’s arm, which he seems to like a lot.
‘Does anyone fancy going for a run round the bay later?’ Flavia asks. ‘Those with pent-up energy.’
‘I’m in,’ Mike says. A couple of the others say they’re in too.
Flavia looks at me with one eyebrow lifted and gives me a slight you-too-I-hope nod.
‘Me too,’ I confirm.
‘Great,’ says Flavia. ‘Maybe you can all arrange to meet in the hotel lobby for a quick pre-dinner run.’
‘Are you not coming with us?’ I ask, discovering that I feel mildly disappointed.
‘I’m a slow runner,’ Flavia says. ‘I’d hold strong people like Mike up.’
Mike preens again, and then we continue down the mountain with everyone in harmony.
* * *
When we arrive back at the hotel, we all mill around the lobby for a short period, exchanging further exclamations about what an amazing afternoon we’ve had, before separating to go to our rooms.
When the lift stops on our floor, Flavia and I are the only two left in it. We exit together and walk along the corridor to our suite. Flavia seems a little more relaxed than she was after I took her bag, so I assume that she’s dealt with whatever caused her to become tense.
We make light conversation as we wander along, and I have to say it is nice feeling relaxed in her company; since we’re on this trip together, it would be a shame not to enjoy it.
Flavia’s just saying something about my upcoming run as I open the door, when Mike’s voice comes from behind us: ‘You two must be on the corner of the building. That’s got to be amazing view-wise?’
Not ideal. Neither of us has mentioned to the others that we’re sharing tonight. They all know that we are in no way a couple and I don’t think either of us wants any potential awkwardness with people incorrectly speculating about any kind of possible relationship between us.
As one, Flavia and I do one-eighties to face him.
‘Yes,’ says Flavia.
‘Yeah, fantastic,’ I agree.
I want to reiterate that we are not a couple but can’t quite find the words because, given our newfound truce after our earlier irritation with each other, I don’t actually want to be rude to Flavia, so I need to be careful how I describe our certainly-not-ever-romantic relationship. Not relationship. Friendship.
I’m clearing my throat to say something, I’m still not sure what, when Mike says, ‘See you downstairs in ten then, Dominic,’ and goes into the next-door room.
Flavia and I are both silent for a few moments, and then she says, ‘No-one will think we’re a couple once we leave the hotel. And, anyway, we can just explain the mess-up about the suite. That would be best.’
‘Good plan,’ I agree, wondering why we didn’t just tell Mike about it just now. And then clarity about the rest of the trip hits. ‘Umm… I’m guessing we’ll be sharing accommodation at the safari lodge, as well as back here on New Year’s Eve.’
‘Oh. I hadn’t thought of that. You’re probably right.
Well… hopefully the safari lodge won’t be so booked out and they’ll be able to switch us to separate rooms. Or we’ll have a sitting room again.
And I imagine we’ll be in the same room here when we come back, and obviously this is going to be okay.
’ She looks at me enquiringly, as though checking I agree.
I nod. ‘Yep, I’m sure it will be fine.’ I frown. ‘Should we… if anyone mentions it? What…’
‘I think we just say exactly what happened? As in, we know each other vaguely from way back when, because we grew up in the same village, and we both entered the raffle and won the prize, and there was a mix-up, so we’re sharing, but luckily there are two bedrooms in the suite.’
‘Good idea. Yep. Great.’ I have no idea why this conversation feels so awkward. ‘Right, yes, so if it’s okay by you I’ll just get ready for the run now.’
‘Yes, of course.’
‘Why don’t you come?’ I ask.
‘No, thanks. I’m not a runner and I could do with a snooze.’ Flavia’s tone is extremely firm, which makes me laugh.
‘Fine. Enjoy your sleep.’
* * *
When I get back to the room after the run, Flavia’s changed into a different dress and is sitting in an armchair reading.
‘Did you have fun?’ she asks.
I haven’t had a flatmate in years; it actually feels quite nice sharing quarters like this and having someone ask about mundane things like did I enjoy my run.
‘Yep. Thank you for suggesting it. I can’t imagine many more glorious settings for an evening run.’
‘Knew you would,’ she says smugly. She gesticulates with her hands as she speaks and I note that she did in fact make use of her nail varnish; I’m sure her nails were pale pink before, and now they’re bright red. ‘I’ll go and wait in the hotel lobby while you shower.’
She’s managed to strew her stuff widely around the room already and when I get into the bathroom I see that she has a bewildering array of toiletries spread out on her half of the double basin top.
Weirdly, because I very much favour minimalism in my living surroundings and actually just can’t understand why she doesn’t want to be tidier, I don’t really mind it.
I do feel odd about it though – it’s rare at our age to get such a glimpse into the personal routine of a near-stranger with whom you have no romantic involvement – so I purposely avoid looking at her stuff.
We’re having dinner in a local steak restaurant. I shower in record time and arrive in the lobby with a minute or two to spare, just in time to hear Judith tell Flavia that her partner (clearly she is referring to me) is adorable and is she sure there’s nothing between us.
‘Nothing,’ Flavia confirms. ‘We’re just…’
‘Good friends?’ Charlotte finishes the sentence. ‘That’s so nice. Have you been this close for long?’
‘We really don’t know each other particularly well,’ Flavia says. ‘We grew up in the same village, but Dominic’s actually the same age as my brother, not me, so we’ve just never hung round together.’
‘How cute that the two of you are getting to know each other so well now,’ Charlotte says, her eyes swivelling backwards and forwards between us.
‘Especially sharing a room.’ Mike has popped up from nowhere.
‘Wow,’ says Charlotte. ‘How do you feel about that?’
‘For the record,’ Flavia says, ‘and I’m sure Dominic won’t mind me sharing this—’ she turns to look at me and I give her a slight headshake, alarmed about what she might be about to say ‘—we’ve been given a suite with a sitting room that has a sofa bed, so we effectively have two bedrooms, which is perfect, because in fact neither of us was massively happy to share a room, because obviously it did feel a little weird.
’ She smiles around at the others, while I think of course she was never going to mention about our past. ‘But all good and it’s just so exciting to be here. ’
Charlotte and Judith both begin to ask more questions, and I leap in.
‘The reason that we’re sharing a room is that we both took part in the village Christmas raffle and won this trip as a prize,’ I explain.
‘It was originally meant for a couple, and the booking wasn’t updated in time, so we have their room.
’ I don’t want to mention anything about Flavia’s father; that is obviously not my information to share, and I imagine that she might well not wish to discuss his passing with a group of people she’s only just met.