Chapter One: A Day In The Life

"The human person cannot face up to a bad outcome, that's just the deal."

Barbara Kingsolver

The setting sun beat down on my face as I leaned back in my chair. I took a sip of my mojito and looked out over the Nam Song River, promptly deciding that this was what life was a about, simple tranquillity.

Vang Vieng was a world of its own, its dusty streets were crowded with tourists, but still held a sense of authenticity many other places had failed to hold on to and it was easy to see why when I looked to the mostly untouched landscape. The small town was surrounded by karst hills and the river was clear and unpolluted. I hated to admit that my stay here was simply a pit stop on my way up to Luang Prabang, I'd only been there for two days but I wanted to stay a lifetime.

There was something special about Laos that made me never want to leave, I couldn't decide whether it was the amazing people or the food that kept me hooked. From the throngs of ex-pats opening bars on the main road to the amazing kayaking and hikes through the mountains, this place was an adventurers dream.

I heard a glass being placed on the table and I turned my head to see that my boyfriend Denny had delivered me another mojito. It was two for one cocktails between 5 and 7 and boy you would not find me complaining.

"What's the plan for tomorrow?" I asked Denny as he took the seat opposite mine.

"I booked us a balloon ride over the town at sunrise, it's supposed to be awesome." He replied. I wasn't sure if this was the appropriate time to mention I was deathly scared of heights, though at this point of our relationship I would have thought he would have already known that.

"Oh wow, that does sound great thanks. Our bus ride to Luang Prabang leaves at 3 so that leaves us plenty of time." I said, Denny isn't very good at keeping track of anything; that was my job. Silence enveloped us and we suddenly found ourselves with nothing to say to each other.

"Some of the guys are heading down to Kangaroo Sunset tonight if you wanted to come." He said after some time, though when Denny said 'guys' he meant the horde of Contiki boys that he played endless games of beer pong with the night before.

"I will give that one a miss, have fun though." I said. He just shrugged, quickly finished his drink and took off back towards the hotel without so much of a goodbye, not that I really expected one, it wasn't how Denny rolled and I that's what I liked about him.

Denny and I worked together in the same hotel in the Phra Nakhon District of Bangkok and like many others in our position we used this as our home base while we backpacked during the off-season.

Denny was from California and with it came a relaxed attitude and an adventurous outlook on life. I often joked that he looked like Joey from the movie 10 Things I Hate About You, not that he appreciated that reference and would reciprocate by calling me his 'Ginger Ninja'. To be fair, he had these chiseled cheek bones and a look that screamed failed actor, all he needed to do was shoot me a 'pensive' look and he'd be a dead ringer for Joey.

I was nineteen when we met, I had been working in Bangkok for a year at that point, and I was straight out of school with only my Tourism certificate to back me up. I was young, idealistic and not ready for any sort of romantic commitment and neither was he. It was a match made in heaven. At first it seemed to be endless drinking sessions down on Khao San Road with the other hotel workers, then suddenly we were branching off by ourselves and soon after that we just fell into a sort of relationship from there. We'd been together two years, though it seemed a lot longer, I didn't know if that was a good thing or bad thing at this point. I was just trying to enjoy myself.

The crickets began chirping and the mosquitoes were biting, but I would have it no other way. I was truly living the dream. I got to travel most of the year and I had the best work colleagues back in Bangkok.

I finished off my drink and decided to take a walk down to the river. The night was hot and sticky, my shirt clung to my back and I could feel my thongs rubbing against the top of my feet, I knew that I would end up with blisters by the end of the night. I could smell various meats being barbequed on the streets, mostly chicken, though I did see some that looked suspiciously like rat.

Fruit drinks and filled rolls were being hocked by locals every twenty metres. Korean students were stumbling out of bars drunk wrecks, there was a group of English lads chatting up some Polish girls in front of one of the many bars and I could hear my fellow Australians crying out 'Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi' from the Irish Pub just around the corner and in that moment I missed home more than I had in five years and I smiled to myself, it was all so imperfectly perfect.

I got to the river bank and saw the lights of the small riverside bars reflecting onto the still water. It was a cloudless night, stars dotted the dark sky, I could make out some constellations and the moon shone brightly, casting a silver glow on my surroundings.

I crossed the rickety wooden bridge, making way for other foot passengers and dodging motorcycles. I had no clue how the bridge didn't collapse under the weight of the bikes.

There was a small bar next to the bridge so naturally I made a bee-line for it and ordered a huge Beer Lao. I had just settled on one of the pontoons sitting out in the shallows of the river when my phone rang. I pulled out my phone and looked, it was my sister Jane. I quickly answered it would have been past midnight in Melbourne and she wouldn't have called so late unless it was something important.

"Hi Jane, what's up?" I answered.

I heard her take a deep breath. "Lizzie, its dad." She said simply.

My heart began to race in trepidation. "What about dad?" I asked.

I could hear her choke back tears. "He was rushed to hospital this afternoon. He collapsed at work."

"And?" I asked searching for more information.

"They found a tumour, its cancer." Jane told me softly. The world suddenly seemed to stop spinning and my stomach dropped.

"What type of Cancer?" I heard myself ask.

"Stage 4 bowel cancer, the 5 year survival rate is less than eight percent and the doctors have given him less than a year." Her voice was strangled, she was rattling off the statistics as if it would somehow make it less real, less personal.

"Surely with Chemo-" I began, my voice trailing off as the gravity of the situation began to hit me.

"He doesn't want to do treatment and all they can do for him now is make him comfortable until," her voice trailed off. "Until he dies." she finished. The words seemed too harsh. Too final.

"I think I'm going to come home." I said. I hadn't been home in five long years, I wasn't even sure if it was home anymore.

Jane hesitated. "Lizzie, I have to tell you something."

"What is it?" I asked distracted.

"Never mind." She sighed.

"Okay," I began. "I'll call you with my flight details when I get booked."

I heard a crash and a male swearing from Jane's end. "I have to go. Love you and see you soon." Jane said quickly, promptly hanging up on me as she did so.

Now all I had to do was tell Denny. I quickly downed the rest of my beer and walked briskly back to my hotel. I ran up the stairs to my room two at a time. I dug through my bag and pulled out my tablet and promptly began searching for flights.

Denny found me asleep on top of my tablet, snoring my head off, or so he says. He woke me up and told me to hop into bed. He reeked of Lao-Lao and had a look of guilt that I chose to ignore. I made the decision to tell him what had happened when he was sober, there was no need for me to deal with an emotional drunk man as well.

I knew one thing for sure. It was going to be a long few days.

AN: I wrote most of this story when I was feeling homesick while travelling through Asia over Christmas. The group I travelled with was full of Aussie's and we all got strangely patriotic when we got a few beers in us, chanting "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie", belting out Waltzing Matilda and butchering Land Down Under was a regular occurrence. It wasn't just us, it seemed like a common thing.

I just thought I'd clarify a few things first in case anyone was wondering.

Certificates – They are basic post-secondary school qualifications in Australia and in Victoria some schools offer students to undertake a certificate alongside their VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education) qualification.

Contiki – A tour company that runs tours all over the world for 18 – 35 year olds, very popular in Australia.

Kangaroo Sunset – It's a real bar in Vang Vieng. I spent most nights there when I was in Vang Vieng and when I was there it was jam packed with Aussie's.

Thongs – Aussie slang for Flip-Flops, in case you didn't already know.

Beer Lao – Thailand has Chang Beer, Laos has Beer Lao. It's cheap and nasty yet strangely satisfying.

Lao-Lao – Laotian rice-whiskey, it's actually awesome.

If you like my story by all means review. Thank you.