The Key to Everything

Part Three: Chapters 20 to 27

Chapter 20

Finding a place to stay in Phuket proves much harder than finding a ride here did. No one approaches us as we get off the bus or walk through the tourist bus station. A couple of stray dogs lift their heads sleepily as we pass by, but otherwise we might as well be invisible.

It's Christmas Eve and the streets of Phukettown are crowded with Thai people and tourists alike. Glittering red and green banners featuring angels and Christmas trees decorate the shop windows. Taxis crowd the road, with boys on mopeds zipping between the traffic.

"Shit," Morgan says. She's got her guidebook out again. "It's high season. No wonder we didn't get to come here on the discount tour. We're going to struggle to find a place to stay."

"It can't be that hard." I point at the far end of the bus station. "Look. There's an information stand." I walk up to the desk and ask for information about guesthouses.

The girl looks up from her cell phone. "Which is your guesthouse?"

"We don't have one yet."

Her eyes widen and she shakes her head back and forth. "Very busy in Phuket. Everywhere is full."

"Everywhere?" Morgan asks.

"How much money do you spend? Big resorts in Patong Beach maybe have a room or two if someone cancels."

"Okay," I say. "Thanks for your help."

The four of us sit on a bench while Morgan looks up Patong Beach in her Lonely Planet guide. "These rooms are like three hundred dollars a night."

I cringe. Destiny doesn't come cheap. "Maybe we can all share one?"

"If there's even one available," Morgan says.

"What about camping?" Jed asks. "Is it legal to sleep on the beach?"

I shrug. "I would be okay with camping."

"With no gear?" Morgan looks horrified.

A middle-aged man with wrinkles around his eyes and mouth wanders over to us. "Did I hear you say you need a place to stay?"

Morgan waves him off. "No offense, Pops. But the last time someone offered us something they overheard we needed, we ended up on the side of the road in the middle of the night."

He shrugs. "All right, but my family and I have an extra room. Our second son moved to Bangkok to go to university. It's just bunk beds and a spot on the floor, but you can stay for eight hundred baht per night." He pauses. "I even have a Western toilet."

"Hang on," I say. We step away from the man and put our heads together.

"Do y'all think he means eight hundred baht each or total?" Jed asks.

"Either way that's way more affordable than three-hundred bucks," Tyson points out. "And you can't beat the amenities. I'm a big fan of Western toilets."

"You're right," Morgan says. "And I guess if there's no other option. . . " She starts flipping through her guidebook again.

"It could be kind of fun," Tyson says. "All of us chilling in the same room."

"Yeah, I kind of miss the white noise of your snoring to fall asleep to," Jed says.

"It's not like Morgan doesn't snore." I grin.