The Lion of Khum Jung

Chapter 3-1

3

Sarah stood looking at the dresser mirror in her room, thinking about her son. Although he was twenty-eight and held an upper management position at Johnson Industries, a subsidiary of Oracle America, all she saw in her mind’s eye was a sandy-brown-haired, and freckle-faced boy. What had happened to all the years in between when he was growing up? They all seemed like a blur to her now, as if she had been asleep and had just awakened to find him a grown man.

How she wanted those years back. She had missed too much of Greg’s life from holding down two jobs to make ends meet. She lamented the vacations they never took when he was growing up because there never seemed to be enough time or money, as well as the long nights spent studying for her master’s degree. She had sacrificed so much to give them a better life, but in the end, the sacrifices had betrayed her, taking away the one thing that mattered most: time with her son.

So here she was, a senior administrator in the Los Angeles school system, pulling down six figures a year and all for what: a modest house in West Covina, a used BMW, and a smattering of creature comforts she had dreamed of having during those long, desolate years.

Thinking back, she would trade it all in a heartbeat to get back just one year with her son. But it was too late now. He had carved out a life for himself that barely included her.

So why was she here, really? Was it because something deep inside her wanted to finally confront the mountain that had stolen her husband? She thought she’d gotten over losing Steven until Greg announced he was going to climb the Monster. Suddenly, all the pent-up anger she’d buried so long ago came roaring back and she didn’t know what to do with it.

She buttoned the last two buttons on her blouse as her heart roiled. In a minute or two, Greg would be knocking on her door, so she put her game face on and tucked her blouse into her pants. Then turning in profile, she appraised herself. The one benefit to this Godforsaken trip was that she was in the best shape she’d been in, in years.

The knock on her door signaled it was time. “You ready, Mom?” said Greg’s muffled voice on the other side.

Grabbing her daypack off the bed, she gave the room a last cursory inspection to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything. Satisfied, she went and pulled the door back to find her son waiting by the balcony railing with his back turned toward her. “Well, I guess we’re off and running,” she said. She pulled the door shut behind her and stepped into the lamplit humid air.

Greg turned around and took her pack from her. “That we are. I ran into Frank a minute ago. We’re all ready to go. There’s a continental breakfast downstairs if you want a bite before we head out.”

“I’m not hungry,” Sarah said, feeling her stomach tighten.

“Okay. It’ll be a while before we eat, though.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” Sarah replied as she followed him downstairs. What she wanted was to pull him aside and hold him. At last, if nothing more than to hear his voice, she said, “You know, they should put some shelving and hooks in their bathrooms, not to mention adding a grab-bar here and there. Those floors are slick as hell when they’re wet.”

“Mom, this is Nepal, not the States.”

“I know!”

“Well then?” he said over his shoulder. “It could’ve been worse, you know. The toilets could’ve been just a hole in the floor.”

“A fact I’m well aware of,” Sarah said.

“Good. Hold onto that thought ’cause there won’t be a lot of toilets on the way up to Base Camp,” he said.

As he stepped off the final stair onto the courtyard floor, he glanced back up at her. “There’s still time to change your mind, you know.”

“Yes, I know,” Sarah replied. “I’m good.”

“Yeah. What I thought,” he replied, then turned and stalked toward the dining area.