The Dystopian Times, 20. Fancy Free in a Pandemic.

There are some very strange people out there. Or, people that are so happy-go-lucky that you wonder how they happen to survive in this crazy world.

Our daughter has the morning shift this week, so this afternoon, after cleaning up and eating lunch, she went to the beach with a friend. This week, warm temperatures are back. There, they made the acquaintance of a woman who had simply decided to cool down from the heat by stopping by the beach.

She had a large duffel bag with her, and explained that she was looking for the village of Abuín, and the beach As Cunchas. She had come all the way from somewhere near Durango, in Euskadi, just to surprise her daughter and her daughter's father. 

My daughter explained how to get to Abuín, and the woman decided to chat with them a bit. She told the two friends that her trip had lasted two days, travelling by different buses and Blah-Blah cars. She had no idea exactly where her daughter lived, just the reference of the beach As Cunchas in Abuín. 

The two girls were flipando, as we say around here. They couldn't conceive how someone could be so footloose as to cross the north of the country without further ado, to reach an address she didn't even know. Furthermore, that she would embark on such a trip in the middle of a pandemic, as if it were a trip to the supermarket. After some time, the woman set off, on her expedition to surprise her daughter.

While I am quite thrown aback by such foolhardiness, I also envy her. What I wouldn't give to just pick up my feet and go wherever I willed! Home is beautiful, but the pull of the new, of the unknown, of the to-be-discovered is also strong. If I could, I would pack a duffel bag myself, get in the car, and just drive. I might reach the other end of Spain, or I might reach the other end of Europe, I wouldn't care. But my ordered life is filled with responsibilities, and I can't just set off on an unplanned journey.

Though, I don't know just how unplanned that woman's journey was, either. Perhaps she was on unemployment, or on vacation, and she had planned that trip for now. Perhaps she didn't have the money for a more straightforward trip that didn't involve umpteen buses and rental rides. And the woman had to be very sure of her reception at her daughter's father's house, too. 

The pandemic makes the woman's trip seem foolhardy, though. However much we miss our loved ones who live far from us, these are not times to take such long trips, especially since the virus seems to be gathering infectious strength once more. And I wouldn't feel that safe sharing space on buses or a small car, either. 

Each to his own, I guess. 

Life continues.