A True Love Story....Parts 1, 2, and 3
A True Love Story.... Part Three45 minutes later, after a very rough ride over a very bumpy rugged stony track ..... stopping now and again to ask passing pilgrims if they had seen Rolf.... we reached the village of Santibañez. Rolf was not in the albergue there. Nor in the next village called Villares further on over a track that was even rougher. Two hours after we had started, we reached Hospital de Orbigo village and I pulled up in the street in front of the albergue. Bettina went in while I waited outside. Three minutes later she emerged ...... with a man.....! They were clinging on to each other ...... and both were weaping tears of joy.
Bettina had found Rolf, and Rolf had found Bettina.
Over three cold beers from the fridge in the van ( and more sheets of paper towelling for her puffy smiling eyes)..... as they sat side by side with their arms around each other, Rolf told me what had happened. There had been a misunderstanding at the Burgos bus stop. They communicate with each other in a mixture of German and English. He had thought that he had clearly explained that he would meet her in the albergue, which his pilgrim guide book said was ....very near to the Cathedral. So after he had visited the Cathedral, he had gone in to that pilgrim hostel.
But Bettina had not understood clearly.
She had not searched in the Burgos albergue for him at all
...... somehow convincing herself that Rolf had said that if she did not find him in or near the Cathedral in Burgos when she arrived there......he would meet her in the next albergue.
So she marched out of Burgos...!
Love sometimes makes people deaf...... as well as blind.
We finished our beers, and then I drove away, leaving them waving and smiling, each with an arm around the other.
Some weeks later they sent me an Email saying they were happily together in Dusseldorf..... and I wished them both good luck.
By the way..... I have since then stocked up with plenty more rolls of paper towelling...!
I will go to the Camino again this coming summer.
If anybody wants to help me to help pilgrims .... please get in touch with me.
John Francis..
Comments (3)
Vertaal deze pagina
But Bettina knew both sides of the man, and she loved him anyway. He had ... She loves what she does for me. ..... There was nothing more to be done except tell Bettina. ..... Suddenly she had lost her "people" and she was out of a job. ...... That dismal reality had not yet fully come home to her, and she burst into fresh tears.