Div's travelogues

I woke up to the bus driver’s voice announcing that we had arrived in Den Haag. I checked my watch. 5:45 AM. I cursed myself once again for taking a ferry across the English Channel. I had to succumb to the truth- I would never develop sea legs in this lifetime! With groggy eyes, I got down the bus and put my first ever step on mainland Europe. The air outside felt crisp and cold.

The bus driver was already handing out luggage from the storage below. I waited patiently for my backpack to show up but it didn’t. In the end, I approached the driver. There was one last bag left- looked a lot like mine but was ragged and old. The driver pointed me to it and I nodded my head sideways, exclaiming that it wasn’t mine. He raised his shoulders in an apologetic manner. Someone had probably taken my bag by mistake at an earlier stop and left their own. I was told that I could come back at 9 AM and enquire about my missing bag. Within seconds, the driver disappeared. The bus was gone and I was stranded on a cold winter morning at a bus stop in Netherlands- no clothes, no phone and laptop, not even toothpaste! It felt like a dream gone wrong. Maybe I could wake up from this?

I looked around –all shops were shut and roads were dim. My co-passengers had already thinned away, while I stood rooted. I still had my jacket, passport and my money- so all was not lost! I walked to a bench and sat down, trying to recall the Conference venue (I knew some organizers there), but would there be anyone at such early hours? I didn’t know how to get there. May I could just wait till the Inquiry office opened. I felt hope drain away.

Suddenly, I noticed someone noticing me. My thoughts were interrupted as a young guy came over and sat next to me on the bench. Our eyes met briefly. They were a beautiful blue. He smiled, but I couldn't smile back. I remembered seeing him on the ferry last night. His cologne was strong- the smell familiar. I knew someone else who smelt the same; back in London- a close friend. He kept looking into my eyes, as if asking me whether I needed help. Half of me wanted to get up and runaway, but something told me I could trust him. I didnt move. It felt like I was back in a dream, he was a complete stranger and yet my gut said I almost knew him. He spoke something, probably in Dutch. I said ‘English Only’.

He smiled at me again, as if he understood my confusion. I smiled back. There was hope in my world once again.