I have never seen the train station in Washington, and I cannot possibly locate it relative to the Greyhound station I have been using so often 10 years ago. So it was a great surprise to see this huge hall with high ceiling, reminiscent of Grand Central station in NYC. The smell of food from different restaurant chains welcomed us as we alighted from the train. We made our way straight outside to the taxi booth, despite many temptations. Dusk was tinting the building orange and I was discovering a different side of Washington DC.
We were headed northwest, and soon entered a rather residential area, with rather big houses and neat front lawns. Soon darkness came and we finally stopped in front of our destination. I was so excited to have arrived, I lost my phone in the cab and would notice it only 4h later. In any case, K welcomed us with her family and we were soon talking away, exchanging news and memories. We haven't seen each other in 2 years at least, and it was the first time we were meeting outside of Europe. Our geographical situation was reversed, as I was no longer living in the US but in Europe.
I heard all about their move a few 5 month before, and how they have adapted to new schools, parent's meeting, and job search. For me it was a time of falling into a time-warp and feeling like a high schooler again, full of giggles, pressure-free, and impervious to time...until bedtime came and we set out our beds in the attic and I was wondering where my phone had gone so that I could set up the alarm clock.
As I played my last interaction with the phone in my head, it struck me that it was gone in the taxi and that I had to survive without it for the rest of my trip, a full week without my contacts, addresses or music. Maybe it was a blessing since I was on vacation after all. I went to sleep a bit unsettled, but still happy to have arrived safely with a dear friend.
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