Things that make the world better

There are things that don't usually happen and make this usually awful world a much better place to live in.

Once upon a time, there was a man. This lucky man was such a lucky man that he could tell that he was loved by the woman he loved. This beautiful story ended up in marriage, wich was not a usual wedding, where the guests were told to disguise themselves with red round noses and quite freaky glasses.

After that wedding, a "honeymoon". A couple of flights around eastern Europe to finish off at a paradise on Earth.

Mauritius Island, home of the extinguished bird the Dodo and a sacred lake for "hindus".

Being so far away from home, at a hotel where they were treated as rich people by everybody, and they were not very used to it, it made them buy all the excursions around the island in the hotel.

A couple of minutes after having done it, they started to regret it.

At the beach, trying to get rid of all those spaniards who were happy to be treated as the VIPs they knew they were not, the man in our story was sitting looking at the sunset.

A mauritian guy started to talk to him, he was especially happy to speak with a real mauritian and not a waiter who would give him anything he wanted or believed anything he said.

They talked about how life was on that fantastic island, the problems mauritians had to face to make their bussiness grow (the native guy had a brother), and how the honeymoooner believed that his honeymoon would be his only chance to be in such a wonderful place. Maybe that's why he and his recent wife didn't want to waste any of their time on this island as they wanted to get to know the real Mauritius.

Maybe, that's why they enjoyed the time at the market in Port Louis, where buying anything takes up to half an hour and there is no chance of paying the first price given. Okay, you may get the same price in a shop, but you don't get in touch with the real people, only with well trained salesmen and women.

Maybe, that's why that waiter they asked about Pamplemousses the day before going to it, saw that this couple was not like the others.

That waiter, called Nitin, talked to them about the real island behind the scenes of the american hotel, and about the different meals around the tables at the restaurants.

Also, he gave them some steam-cooked vegetables that the wife had been looking for, for the last few days.

After a couple of days, they asked him where he would be working just to have the chance to talk with him for a while. They told him about their day and the plans for the next one, and he suggested places to visit and warned them about people to be careful with.

This friendship arose naturally, but honeymoons run out of days very fast, and the last day, they tried to say goodbye.

For some minutes before taking the bus to the airport, the couple and their new friend could share the last words, emails, postal address, and promises of trying to keep in contact if possible.

Back in Spain, the couple realised that it would be difficult to ensure a letter sent so far away could get to its destination, but those days and Nitin stayed in their minds forever. Especially when talking about the honeymoon with friends, when looking at the photographs they took, and when crossing eyes with the toy he bought them as a present.

Now, three years and many kilemeters after that honeymoon, Nitin sent an email to my email address I gave him. Not directly from his email, but a friend's one, I suppose, who we appreciate for giving him the chance to make contact.

Now, I have found her on facebook and I have sent a message to whom I think is Nitin.

Now, Nitin is traveling to Barcelone, to start his new job on a boat, which will take him on a cruise to the Bahamas for eight months.

Now, I feel this world is a better place to live in, just because of the emotions we are feeling knowing about him, and the oportunity to keep in touch with him again, and maybe talk about life here in Spain.

Of course, we will share all of our knowledge about this our side of the world with him, just like he once did for us.

Welcome back to our lives, Nitin. I hope we can meet again soon, maybe, in Saragossa :-)