The Backpacker Read Online Free PDF Page B

or a Dutch rock star from the seventies. When we introduced ourselves, I’d half expected him to say, ‘Hi, name’s Thor!’ and break into an air-guitar solo or something.
    Zed and Dudley, on the other hand, were both younger; students from England on a month’s holiday from the same university. Zed was tall and slender, with waist-length curly hair, and pretty in a way that probably attracted men as well as women, while Dudley, of a much smaller, slighter build, looked the spitting image of Kurt Cobain. If he hadn’t told me he was English, and hadn’t spoken, I’d have sworn he was Californian. He wore a woolly hat even though the temperature must have been in the high twenties.
    â€˜You haven’t been here long then?’ I said, pouring out my beer.
    â€˜A week. That’s enough. Hate the place.’ Rick lit up a cigarette and offered one to me.
    â€˜No thanks,’ I said, flicking my eyes to Sanita. I’d given up smoking for her but the craving was still there. Rick must have noticed because he sniggered slightly before putting the packet back in his pocket. Shit, I thought, how humiliating.
    â€˜I thought it was going to be non-stop parties,’ he continued. ‘You hear so much. But when I got here, well,’ he looked around, ‘I thought I was in the wrong place.’
    â€˜Mmm, know what you mean.’ I didn’t know what he meant but I didn’t want to appear unworldly. Sanita gave me a sideways glance.
    â€˜That’s why I’m off to Thailand tomorrow; try something new.’
    I nodded. ‘How long are you away for?’
    â€˜Supposed to be four weeks.’ He pulled the label from his beer bottle and stuck it to the table top. ‘Got a job to go back to unfortunately.’ Then added, matter of factly, ‘Got three kids and a girlfriend too.’
    It was hard to believe. He looked, as Sanita had earlier suggested, in his mid-twenties, but hearing that he had three kids suddenly made him seem much older. I thought it too personal to ask his age and said, ‘Me too. A job I mean. I was just saying to San–’
    â€˜Right.’ Sanita suddenly slammed both hands down on the table and stood. We all reached out and grabbed our beer bottles to stop them from toppling over. ‘I’m going back to the room John. Bye everyone.’ She turned and walked away.
    I was stunned. Speechless.
    â€˜Seems nice,’ Zed said as she marched across the rooftop.
    There was a pause as we watched Sanita disappear into the stairwell.
    â€˜So,’ Rick said, pulling a little bag of something from his pocket, ‘she goes tomorrow and you stay behind. What are you going to do?’
    I turned back to the table, taking and lighting a cigarette in defiance. ‘Was going south, but I missed the train.’
    â€˜Come with me if you want.’ He pulled some leaves from the bag and mixed them with cigarette tobacco on a Rizla. ‘To be honest, it’d be good to have someone to travel with in Thailand.’
    Self-consciously I looked over towards the door to see if Sanita had gone, and whispered, ‘Whereabouts in Thailand are you going?’
    â€˜Dunno really. A couple I met here earlier told me that Ko Pang Gang was a good place. But I’ll see when I get there.’ He licked the edge of the cigarette paper and stuffed a piece of card into the end. ‘Smoke?’
    â€˜Not for a long time,’ I said, glancing back at the door again. ‘OK.’
    Ten minutes later the effect of the marijuana was taking hold and I began to giggle out of step with the conversation. Actually, I couldn’t really keep up with the conversation at all now, my head was buzzing so much, but I tried to laugh at the right time to make it look good.
    â€˜Deformities.’ Rick said, smoke easing from his nostrils, ‘They’re the most interesting sight in India.’
    â€˜You too?’ I