Unexpected Encounters and Life’s Surprises
A Rainy Day Reunion
It had been a long and rainy day. Michael had been working all day and was very tired and hungry. He decided to have dinner at a restaurant near his office. He put on his raincoat, took his umbrella, and headed to the street. He walked briskly to “Le Chezon”.
The restaurant was half-full. As usual, he decided to sit at the bar and order some fish and chips. The waiter, Paul, knew him and said, “Right away, Sir,” while he served him his usual beer. Michael took a first sip and looked around. Wow, he thought, that’s Margaret—I haven’t seen her in ages.
Margaret had been his classmate at secondary school. She seemed to be having a drink with a friend. She was calling the waiter, and suddenly saw Michael sitting at the bar. They both smiled at each other. Michael went over to say hello. It was an exciting encounter, and they were both very happy to see each other again. As they talked, they realized that they had been working at offices that were very near for almost a year. “That’s life, Michael—unexpected things happen every day.”
A Family’s Bond
Mary, as she usually did, was happily preparing lunch for her granddaughter, who was coming from school. Suddenly, she heard a loud knock on the door. “Who can it be?” she asked herself, and quickly walked to see who was knocking. After she opened the door, all her happiness disappeared. It was Peter, Camille’s father, who had returned to the city.
“You will not take Camille with you!” Mary decisively exclaimed before Peter could say a word.
“Why not? She is my daughter!” Peter defiantly objected.
“She is not your daughter. Since you left her here to follow your lover, she ceased to be your daughter,” Mary angrily replied. “Besides, who do you think you are? Camille has lived with me for three years, and after my daughter’s death, we only have each other,” she added.
“Well, I will not argue with you anymore, because when I say the things that I can offer her, she will decide to go with me,” Peter offensively responded.
However, the girl, who was 11 years old, had very clear thoughts. When she was coming into the house, she heard the things that her father was saying. But she was so grateful for everything that Maria gave to her, and how much she loved her, that the girl decided to keep living with her grandma.
A Hasty Holiday
It was three o’clock in the morning when the phone rang. My friend Julia had sent a message: “Hurry up! If you don’t go fast, we will miss the bus.” We’re going on holiday, although we don’t have a lot of money. For this reason, we bought low-cost tickets. The worst part is the departure time—it’s so late.
I took my suitcase quickly and went to the bus stop. I took the bus on time! I had sat on the bus when Julia asked me where my case was. Suddenly, I remembered that I had left my suitcase at the bus stop. This is a disaster! Fortunately, I had an idea. I called my mom, and she told me that she would send my case by post.
In the end, I could enjoy my holiday. The weather was fantastic! I hope to repeat it sooner rather than later.
A Nighttime Repair
It was three o’clock in the morning when the phone rang. Unfortunately, I was on duty, and I had to answer the phone. I was working as a technician for a telecommunication company, and I had to drive to the places where the equipment was to repair them. In those days, I lived in Asturias, and the places I had to visit were extremely hard and wild.
When the telephone rang, I was scared because I hated to drive at night when the weather was cold and windy. I stood up, picked up the phone, and one of my colleagues told me that I had to drive to a mountain pass called Pajares because one piece of equipment there had broken down.
As soon as I knew what I had to do, I got dressed, took my tools, and drove my four-by-four to the workplace. First, I drove on the main road to get to Pajares’ pass. Then, I took a wild, sandy road to get to the little house where the equipment was inside. It took me more than an hour to get there.
The funniest thing was that I couldn’t have opened the door if I hadn’t had a lighter. The lock was frozen.