Over the previous few years, a new village at Langtang had gradually established itself, born out of the perseverance of a few determined survivors and supported by the ever-increasing number of tourists who, for whatever reason, began to return to the area. Jess and Sujay followed the trail down to the village, descending to a sign that greeted their arrival, proudly proclaiming the altitude: 3,500 metres.
Amongst the new dwellings, numerous teahouses and restaurants had sprung up, the village’s notoriety one of the factors in its renaissance. For all the trekkers milling around the central area, this was the end of the line. The place to rest, take some pictures, take a sombre stroll amongst the few visible remains of the old village, maybe even pay their respects, before wending their way back along the same trail, back to Syapru Besi.
They sat outside in the cool sunshine sipping lemon and ginger tea and eating a slice of pizza. Pizza! I’ve come all this distance, to the very edge of civilisation, and they’ve got pizza. She had to laugh. It was a poignant reminder of her own world and, as she did in every spare moment, she imagined the girls at home with Keira, laughing and playing, and craved the day would soon come when she could get back to them.
“It’s very busy here,” she said between bites.
“Yes. It gets more and more busy each time. It’s good.”
“But we’re not staying?”
“No, we have to move on. There are no more villages or teahouses between here and Chumtang, but I know a place we can stay.” She sat back in the chair and exhaled loudly, rubbing her stomach. He looked at her half-eaten pizza. “You must eat.” It sounded like an instruction.
“Oh, Sujay. I can’t eat any more. I’m full,” she complained. It had sounded like a nag, but she knew he meant it for the best.
“We go to four thousand metres. You need the energy.”
“Okay, okay,” she said in mock exasperation and reluctantly resumed her lunch. A woman she recognised walked over, fully tooled up, rucksack on her back, ready to go.
“Hi Jess!”
“Oh, hi Nancy.”
“You made it then?” The other Canadian girls wandered up behind her.
“Yes. Just about, but we’ve a way to go yet.”
“Aw well, we’re about to head back. Have a good trip. Say hi to your sis!”
The group waved at her as they filed past and before long they were small specks on the trail behind them.
“Sujay?” He turned to her as she spoke. “Lisa. Alisha. Does she really look like me?”
“Very much. You look like the same person. You are the same height and have the same hair colour. But she has a big scar on her face.”
“Was that because of the … accident.”
“Yes. The landslide. I don’t know what happened to her. I mean, how she hurt herself. She does not walk very well. Sometimes she has a stick. She could not walk like you do.” He paused for a moment.
“But you are not the same person. You are a happy person.” Jess tried to rationalise his comment. I’m a happy person? She’d never had cause to consider it but had to accept that, yes, she probably was happy; at least, as happy as she could be. She may have had some difficulties over the years, but then, she imagined, didn’t everyone? But she’d come through it all and now there was much to look forward to. “You always have a smile,” he said, “even when you are angry.” She put on a look of mock indignation and he laughed at her.
“I’m never angry!” she protested, leaning over to slap his arm, and he clutched it, grimacing, as if hurt. She sat back and they were quiet for a moment.
“Are you a happy person?” she asked him gently, still curious about him.
“Yes. I am a happy person.” He stretched out an arm, looked around and then pointed to the immense Langtang Lirung towering over them. “How could I not be happy? Here. In my country. Look.” She turned her head and had to agree that, even after just a few days, she had become entranced by the Himalayas.
“But what about Alisha.”
“She is Buddhist.” Jess frowned. She didn’t understand.
“Does that mean she can’t be happy?”
“She seeks a different kind of happiness, and she has not found it yet.”
“How will she know when she finds it?”
“She will know.” Jess felt she was no clearer. She wanted to be prepared for when they eventually met. She had the advantage over Lisa. She knew she was coming, knew that they were lookalikes, knew who her father was and knew who she was. But Lisa, Alisha, was totally in the dark. What on earth would Alisha do when she saw her and heard the truth? The more she thought about it, the more she worried that maybe this had been a big mistake. She should have let things be.
She’d been told Alisha was content, living in her remote paradise, free from the cares and worries of the modern world, oblivious to the thoughts and emotions that rattled around Jess’s head as a matter of routine. And now she was going to open up old wounds, disrupt the girl’s very existence and introduce potentially serious complications. For what? For whom? For her own peace of mind? Her own gratification? She couldn’t say. Maybe it was the altitude fogging her brain.
“How will she react when she sees me?” She looked at him closely, trying to see into his mind, anticipating the response but wary of hearing the answer. He took a moment and it made her feel uneasy.
“She will welcome you. She will give you everything she has, if you want it. And she will do everything in her power to ease your suffering.”