Golden Girl (14 page)

‘I’m here too,’ said Alisha.

‘Choo,’ I said. I meant thank you, but pronouncing the words was too much effort. I let myself drift off. I couldn’t believe it. The one night I’d been looking forward to
for ages and JJ was with Shreya while I was alone in a strange hotel room with a devastating dose of the Rajasthan rumbles.

‘You awake?’ asked Pia.

‘Umpf,’ I said as I attempted to open my eyes. It felt like someone had stuck my eyelids together then clobbered me over the head with a hammer, but at least the feeling of being
seasick had gone. ‘Wow. Where are we?’

I was in a strange room in a rose pink, curtained four-poster bed. Not the Taj. The events of the previous night came flooding back. ‘Oh God. Did anyone see me do the technicolour
yawn?’

‘Only Alisha and Mrs Lewis. It was quite spectacular. Explosive, in fact. You feeling better?’

‘Ish.’ I sat up. ‘Where are we?’

‘Imperial suite at the Shri Niwas. Pretty, isn’t it?’

I glanced around. We were in a dome-shaped room painted in shades of green with deep pink curtains and chairs and three borders of lotus flowers stencilled around the top of the walls.
‘Yes. Wow. Shame I’ve slept through it. Did you see JJ last night after my pukeathon?’

Pia shrugged. ‘Not really. I left the party with you. I was worried.
Really
worried. He texted to ask if you were OK, though.’

I drank a glass of the water next to the bed and glanced at my watch. It was one o’clock. ‘Have I been asleep all this time?’

Pia nodded. ‘Yep. Snoring and dribbling.’

‘No.’

‘Well, snoring.’

‘Aw, P. And you stayed with me?’

‘Mates,’ she replied. ‘You’d do the same for me. Mrs Lewis stayed here at the hotel too. She was worried about you and took the room next door. She also had my books
delivered. At least you got out of study time. She called a short while ago and said that, if you’re up for it, she’s booked us in for a healing schmealing trip to some kind of massage
centre. Aruyvedic, I think she said. Said it would be just what you need. A few healing herbs and some healing hands.’

‘I thought we were going to Jaipur today?’

‘No chance,’ said Pia. ‘You need to chill. JJ and Alisha have gone, though. She called to see how you were too.’

As my head cleared, I had a nagging feeling inside that I’d forgotten something. Or had I had a bad dream? I made myself think back over the previous night. No. Oh
no
. JJ’s
phone call. I hadn’t dreamt it. I quickly filled Pia in on what I’d overheard.

She sighed. ‘Oh, Jess. I don’t know what’s going on there but I do know that Shreya was going on the Jaipur trip this morning.’

‘Maybe JJ’s left me a message on my mobile. Have you seen it?’

Pia shook her head.

‘It was in my bag. I’m sure it was,’ I said.

Pia got up to look for it. She found the bag and emptied out the contents. ‘Nah. Maybe you dropped it when you ran for the loo. I’ll check if it’s been handed in at the hotel.
Sure you had it with you?’

‘I . . .’ I wasn’t sure of anything. ‘Last night’s a bit of a blur. Hey. What happened to Goa? Wasn’t Shreya supposed to be going there?’

‘She was but Alisha said that when Shreya tried to get JJ to go to Goa with her, he turned the tables and talked Shreya out of it and persuaded her to stay.’

‘To stay? I’d have thought he’d have been glad to get rid of her.’

‘Seems not. Alisha doesn’t know what’s going on either, apart from the fact that Shreya found out about JJ’s birthday bash. I’m so sorry, Jess, but we’re
mates and I know you’d rather know the truth about what’s going on. Whatever happens, I think you need to speak to him. You can use my phone.’

She found her mobile and handed it to me. I was about to text then changed my mind. ‘Later,’ I said. ‘I . . . I don’t know what to say yet.’ I glanced down at the
phone. ‘Hey, there’s a message from Kunal on here. Two in fact.’

Pia nodded. ‘Both for you. He wants to see you later if you’re up to it. I think he likes you.’

I laughed. ‘Well, if he still wants to see me after the Rajasthan rumbles, he must
really
like me. He was very sweet last night.’

‘I think he’s got the hots for you.’

‘Maybe I
should
see him later,’ I said. ‘He’s kind, he’s handsome and it will show JJ that if he’s going to mess me around, I can play the same
game.’

Pia frowned. ‘JJ doesn’t strike me as someone who plays games.’

‘That’s what I used to think until I heard him saying that it wasn’t working with us. Now I’m beginning to think that the reason we never got any time alone together was
because secretly he wanted it that way. I wonder when he changed his mind about wanting me along on the trip? On the plane? When my mobile went off at the movie shoot? When he saw Shreya? Maybe
he’s realised I don’t belong in his world.’

‘No way, Jess. You really have to get over being so down on yourself. We’ve been through this before: just because his family have money doesn’t mean that we’re excluded
because we don’t. OK, yeah, some people with dosh might think like that, but I really don’t think JJ does. He’s bigger than that.’

‘Maybe. But something’s going on with him and it all started to go weird when Shreya came on the scene. There’s something he’s not telling me.’

‘Perhaps. Just don’t do anything impulsive until you hear his side of things, Jess. Rule whatever number we’re up to in the relationship guide book is: don’t ever assume
you know what’s going on in your other half’s head.’

‘I
heard
him, Pia. I didn’t make that up or imagine it.’

‘Fair enough but . . . be careful with Kunal,’ said Pia. ‘Alisha said that out of the two brothers, he’s the player. Bit flash, you know. You don’t want to do
anything stupid with him and blow it with JJ.’

‘I guess,’ I said. ‘I don’t know, Pia. This trip is so not turning out how I expected, not on any level.’

‘Try not to think about it too much,’ said Pia. ‘We can text Alisha later and find out what’s going on.’

I grimaced. ‘That’s a hard one. JJ’s her brother so she won’t want to tell tales on him. I wouldn’t want to spy on Charlie.’

‘Yes but I don’t think she’s that keen on Shreya and you’re her mate. I’m sure she’ll keep us posted. And in the meantime, go with the flow, that’s what
I think. Let’s try and enjoy what time we have here, OK? So, if you can, get out of bed and let’s hit the aruyvedic centre.’

I nodded. I didn’t want to ruin Pia’s time by being miserable. All the same, I had a sinking feeling inside when I thought of JJ travelling with Shreya, exploring new, exciting
locations when it should have been me with him. ‘Bring it on,’ I said as I got out of bed, tripped over a cushion on the floor and bashed my head on a chair.

‘You OK?’ asked Pia, as I rubbed my forehead.

‘Ouch. Yes. No. I don’t know.’

Pia laughed. ‘Yes, no, don’t know? Hmm, that’s clear. Really, Jess, you’ve got to stop drinking first thing in the morning.’

I held out my palm. ‘Talk to the hand. The head is concussed.’

‘No difference there, then,’ said Pia.

‘Huh. The sympathy didn’t last long. You’d make a rubbish nurse.’

After a light lunch of toast and plain yoghurt for me, vegetable curry and dahl for Pia, Mrs Lewis came to collect us and we drove out to the healing centre by the lake.

‘I’m looking forward to trying this place and I’ve seen Jaipur so it’s no sacrifice,’ said Mrs Lewis after I’d apologised for the hundredth time for my epic
throwing up. ‘Now, how are you feeling?’

‘Bit weak still but much better, thank you,’ I replied as our driver parked outside the centre surrounded by gardens. It was such a relief to be feeling normal again apart from a
slight headache. The thought of a relaxing treatment was very welcome.

A young bearded Indian man in traditional white clothes came out to meet us and ushered us along a veranda into a cool, dark wooden reception where he gave us brochures listing the various
treatments on offer.

‘Mmm,’ said Mrs Lewis as she inhaled the potent herbal scent that permeated the building. ‘I feel good already.’

‘It’s rosemary,’ I said. I recognised the smell from Gran’s garden.

Mrs Lewis and Pia opted for a facial and after Mrs Lewis had explained to the man behind the desk about my Rajasthan rumbles, it was decided that I should have the detoxifying and reviving full
body treatment.

‘Sounds great,’ I said. A soothing massage with scented oils would soon put me right again. Perfect.

Minutes later, three smiling Indian ladies in red sarongs came to collect us then led us through a maze of dark corridors to the treatment rooms. Mine was at the corner of the building where a
brown leather massage table was waiting on a veranda that opened into the garden. My masseuse told me that her name was Sushila and handed me what looked like a plastic nappy.

‘Everything off,’ she instructed, ‘put this on, then lie on couch.’

She left me alone and I looked around for a changing room but there didn’t seem to be one so I slipped off my clothes, put on the nappy thing and lay face down on the couch.

Pia stuck her face round the door and cracked up laughing. ‘I’m just next door. Mmm, sexy. Want me to take a photo to put on Facebook?’

I clasped my hands to my chest. ‘No way. You dare!’

Pia grinned. ‘Later,’ she said, then disappeared.

Sushila came back a few minutes later with a younger companion who she introduced as Usha. She put on a CD and the sound of someone chanting the word
Om
over and over again filled the
area. As I lay on the couch, they poured what seemed like a litre of oil on me then both of them started massaging. Up and down, and up and down. Then the pummelling turned to light slapping.

‘
Ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
,’ chanted the voices on the CD, getting deeper ever second. ‘
A-ommmmmmmmm
.’

‘Is good for blood and circulation,’ said Sushila as she whacked my thighs. ‘Rosemary oil. Mmm. Breathe deep. Cleansing.’

As they continued the four-handed massage, the oil was seeping onto the couch, making it more slippery. Pummel, whackity whack, slap. I tried to relax but I felt myself sliding back and forth
along the couch in rhythm to their actions. Their movements became faster, so fast that I had to grip on to the side of the couch for dear life because the thrust behind the masseuses’
pummelling was causing me to slip forward precariously.
Oh whoa. Any minute now, I’m going to go flying off this couch and into the garden, like a human cannonball.
I dug my fingers
into the couch and hung on.

‘Relax,
relax
,’ urged Sushila. ‘You very,
very
tense.’

Yes, because I’m going to shoot off into the flowerbed at any moment
, I thought.

‘I’m sliding off,’ I tried to protest.

Usha nodded. ‘Oil. Is good, yes?’ she said and continued thwacking and slapping.

When Usha asked me to turn over, I tried to sit up but slid back onto my back with a thwump, trying to hang on to my plastic nappy saturated in oil at the same time.

As I tried to regain my balance and turn over with some dignity, I noticed we were not alone. Three female gardeners in orange saris were leaning on their rakes watching, like I was the
afternoon’s entertainment. I probably was. One of them waved. ‘Nice treatment, yes?’

‘
Nooo
,’ I wanted to call back. And it wasn’t over yet. After they’d finished slapping me about, the two masseuses marched me over to an open air shower and began
to wash me down with freezing cold water, like I was a dog who’d got muddy in the park. ‘No, no. I can do it myself, honestly,’ I begged as I gasped for breath at the shock of the
water.

‘No, no, we do,’ said Usha. ‘You relax.’

Are you mad? No way can I relax,
I thought.
I’m freezing. I’m naked
.
I’ve got goose-pimples. I’m dripping with rosemary oil and I smell like a leg of
lamb. Add a few roast potatoes and I’d make the perfect Sunday lunch.

They clearly didn’t sense my discomfort because they continued scrubbing at me with rough flannels. ‘Very good for skin,’ said Usha.

I gave up and let them do their worst.

After I’d got dressed, I met Mrs Lewis and Pia back in reception. They were both glowing with relaxation after their facials.

‘Good treatment?’ asked Mrs Lewis. ‘Revitalising?’

‘Um. It certainly woke me up,’ I said. I didn’t want to seem ungrateful by saying that I would have paid the masseuses to stop and the best part was the sublime relief I felt
when the treatment was finally over.

Mrs Lewis went to settle our bill and I was just about to tell Pia all about the massage when her phone rang.

‘Alisha,’ she mouthed as she took the call then put it on speaker so that I could hear as well.

‘Jaipur is awesome. There’s this place called the Red Fort here and it’s out of this world. We went up to it on elephants. It was so cool. Shame you missed it. Hey, are you all
healed and holy now?’

‘Fab facial,’ said Pia. ‘Jess is being quiet about hers.’

‘Oily is a word I could use,’ I said.