Shared World

There is a very special thing in being a so-called “visa national”. Limiting as it is, it also gives you a great taste for freedom and chances: you get your visa, and it's almost like being a hero, the cloak and sometimes even flying included, if you booked your plane tickets in time. It’s a never-ending fight, but after all – every victory means a world for you.
So once, being a hero of the day and leaving the British embassy with my brand new visa, I got a message from a girl I had barely known, saying “going to be in London the same days, want to make a short trip somewhere?” That’s what visas are doing to you – I could actually feel that superhero cloak behind me as I not quite danced down the street and wrote “sure, let me check the tickets”, never giving the thing a second thought. That’s how in a week we met in London just to be almost late together for our bus to Cardiff.
Lately we both agreed on two facts: firstly, it was outstanding, and secondly – we had no idea what we were doing. Our whole carry-on consisted of some cookies, a bottle of water and a camera. We printed the map of Cardiff Bay, but not of the whole city, so when the bus dropped us off in the center of Cardiff we did a lot of wandering around in all sorts of directions. It was a great time, though – we're walking the city as only those being lost and in no hurry may do, alternating shadowy parks with bright center streets with their Welsh signs and roaming street music. Cardiff was shining – my memories are full of that sunshine, of people taking off sunglasses to talk to us, of light reflecting and shimmering in the waters of Cardiff Bay and giant, overwhelming Millenium center nearby. We were walking in the sun, making overexposed photos, and once again felt like heroes – especially when we finally confirmed our location with the map.
In the evening – quite a tradition – we were almost late for the bus, so we ran back to the center, past randomly placed all over the city Olympic rings and brightly colored ice-cream carts. It had probably something to do with the running – but we felt dizzy, free, invincible, and really happy as we rushed into the bus a moment prior to departure.
On the way back I realized I forgot to buy a magnet, which my family collects on the fridge. My friend was half asleep when I said it aloud.
“Don’t worry,” she answered, and it sounded like a plan. “I will write you some more messages soon”.