Ohdearyme

“Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.” Maya Angelou

When my friend Anna Han told me she was at an artist residency in a castle in Germany mentally I was already there. ‘You must come and stay in this place! It is a healing town! And I know you need healing’ she teased via email. It has been two years since I have spent time with Anna. Having met in a small town called Cheongju, South Korea, East Side… the fact that she would be momentarily West Side. Well it’s one of those opportunities to see a friend that doesn’t happen all so often. So I booked my flight. Ryanair.. cheap and cheerful. I prepare to travel light, packing a small bag, deciding to wear the same thing on rotation and board the cheap and cheerful 15 pound flight.

On the plane, I take an aisle seat and find myself sitting next to a tall, white haired englishman. A professional golfer, fluent in both English and German it seems. We chat about music, culture, jobs…

‘There is no way to get to Bad Ems (destination) tonight’ the lady on the information desk tells me. (WTF I think to myself) ‘Oh no… really?’ I voice. ’No way… I’m sure that…’  ‘Everything ok Becki?’ a mans voice interrupts from behind me ’need me to translate?’ the theme tune Here I am to save the day! momentarily passes through my mind. It is the man from the plane. He steps in and takes over the conversation. He and the woman on the desk discuss transfers in German. The woman looks flustered and raises her hands quite a bit..’ok Becki.. you cannot get to Bad Ems by public transport tonight – I will drive you’ the man says. (For the purpose of this story I will name him – lets call him ‘Jeeves’)

‘OMG really?…there is no way to get there?!’ I look wide eyed at the woman on the information desk then back at my new friend Jeeves. She shakes her head ‘I am sorry’ she says in her thick German accent. FUCK. I look back at my rescuer – Jeeves… ‘Are you sure?’ I hesitate. ‘Er… Thank you so much!’ I look at the white marbley floor and consider sleeping on it for the night. Confusion arises at my friends directions.

We walk out on to the exit plain of Frankfurt Hahn airport and look out at the vast empty space. ‘Dead!’ Jeeves exclaims. Ryanair. Always a price to pay I think to myself. I weigh up my options. Jeeves gives me his business card. It looks cocha. So I get into the passenger side of the car and we begin the drive.

Half an hour in Jeeves (who I’m starting to wonder if he reads this blog will mind me calling him this for the purpose of the story) pulls over to a petrol station. To fill up and to ask directions. I sit and look at my phone signal. Dead. God damn it. Five minutes later another man gets in to the car with us. Jeeves and him are talking to each other in German. I’m confused. ‘This man works here – he’s going to tell us how to get onto the highway.. am a bit lost’ my new found friend exclaims ‘I will drop him at his house on the way’. We pull out of the petrol station and turn left onto a dark track… the bright lights of the highway fading away behind us as we begin to go down a small off the beat road surrounded by woodland. The film ‘Taken’ flashes through my mind. At this point.. I begin to think about my naivity and trust issues. I can feel my heartbeat gaining speed. This is it I think. I’m going to die. See how easy that was to be manipulated. But he seemed so normal. I am actually pretty scared. I ponder on voicing that fact. I decide to stay quiet. I start to think about the woman on the information desk and about the CCTV at the airport. This comforts me a little. Ten minutes later we pull out of the trees and back onto a main road. Jeeves stops and the other man gets out. He waves us goodbye. ‘Ahhh he’s taken us on a shortcut..’ he says….’I wonder how much you’re going to owe me for this Becki!’ he grins at me. He is joking. And unaware of my nervousness which I do my best not to show. For the comfort of us both. ’Actually I don’t usually get in to strangers cars…’ I utter back to him.. he looks at me a little shocked. ‘No no’ he say’s as he realises he has flustered me a little.

We pull up to the castle I will be staying at for the next week. The nice man driving me has taken two hours out of his way to get me here safe and sound. I am grateful for his kindness and act of chivalry.

‘You know it is so sad for Europeans’ Anna states to me… ‘I talk to most of my friends… and the major hindrance for them is the expense of transport. Young people cannot go and meet each other very often.. its so expensive to travel here in Europe compared to the East!’.

I think about my Ryanair experience. Whilst cheaper than getting an hour up the road in England.. there is usually a price to pay on the other side.

I am grateful to the man and his act of kindness.

I’m listening to Daniel James ‘The Stone and the Hollow’:

Becki Bx