A Small World - Short Story
They had 20 hours journey behind them but it was worth it. The coach was just travelling through picturesque hills of south Spain and they were very close to their destination.
The couple, Nina and Robert, planned this holiday in Tossa De Mar on Costa Brava for quite a long time and were looking forward to two weeks of sunny weather and relax. It was well deserved holiday for those two polish students, after busy year at Uni.
They have chosen Tossa De Mar as it was less crowded than other places, there was no noisy discos and not much of a night life. They actually preferred it this way and also the view from apartments in holiday brochure suggested they will see the sea and the mountains at the same time.
‘We are approaching Blanes’ the trip manager informed passengers, most of them booked their holidays here. It was a great place for a beach holiday, a wide strip of golden sands was going for miles.
After those people left, the coach was almost empty. Next stop was in Lloret the Mar where two old ladies were getting off. It was quite interesting giving that this place was the centre of the night life. Finally, after dangerous rides on mountain serpentines, they have managed to get to Tossa De Mar, a little town at the bottom of the steep hill.
Apart from Nina and Robert, there was only one more polish family staying here. They had to wait outside for a while because the previous group was just leaving the building and the pathway was really narrow, but they didn’t mind. The view was outstanding, a feast for the eyes. They were chatting casually while something caught Robert’s attention.
‘Paul? Paul!’ he shouted and started to wave frantically into direction of the group that was just leaving the hotel area. His mate, Paul, was part of this group. The guys couldn’t believe such a coincidence could actually happen – to meet thousands kilometres from home in the same holiday resort and what a perfect timing!
They have chatted excitedly and Paul gave Robert’s some hints on what to avoid and what to look for in this place. Apparently they had a slight problem with ants so the advice was to keep all sweets covered.
The couple and the other family moved in and spent some time exploring impressive hotel facilities. They also followed Paul’s advice but soon they have discovered that ants found their way. They have tried different solutions and finally bugs gave up under the spray from Robert’s deodorant. A couple talked to the other family over a dinner and they all decided to rent a car together for three days in order to visit as much of beautiful parts of Spain as possible.
The excitement of meeting Paul started to wear off especially in comparison with wonders of Montserrat Monastery, fantastic building designs by Antoni Gaudi or magic of dancing and singing fountains. After quite exhausting three days, they have decided to explore the local town as they had no opportunity to do this earlier.
They walked the town back and forth picking different route each time, have visited the ruins of old fortifications and started to look for some souvenirs to buy for their families. Nina tried to use Spanish but she gave up quickly as although she asked the question perfectly, she had no idea what the answer to it was so she decided to stick with English. Luckily many people understood English as they have mainly English and German tourists in the area.
When they were strolling around, they have suddenly heard some words spoken in polish. It was quite strange as it wasn’t a typical polish destination so they have listened for a moment. Suddenly expression on Nina’s face changed from mild interest to a puzzlement and she started to look for the source of the voice. It sounded really familiar to her. ‘No, it cannot be Angela, can it?’ she murmured. Then second voice could be heard and Nina was almost certain ‘Robert, I can’t believe it but it sounds like Maggie!’ she said in a shock.
Soon enough they could see a group of girls talking in polish. They were in similar shock seeing Nina standing in front of them, in this little town, thousands kilometres away from home. They all used to go to the high school together. The girls were not living in Tossa but they have just taken a cruise trip and stopped here for a lunch. The perfect place and moment in time, ‘Impossible!’ they all shouted, but it was actually happening. What a small world…
