The next morning, John led his clients out of the village under a molten sun as it beamed down from the blue dome of the world. Reaching into the breast pocket of his jacket, he picked out a chunk of chocolate he’d bought on the way out from the Annapurna Guesthouse shop. They’d left Chame an hour before and were headed for Manang where they’d have their first acclimatization day. As he walked, he thought about what Michelle had told him about her journey through life, and he couldn’t help comparing his own life to it. She’d been through some tough s**t, and yet she seemed to take it all in stride, or at least that’s the way she presented herself. He’d been dead wrong about her. She wasn’t timid or unsure of herself. She was a survivor. And what was more, she’d surprised him even more last
