It’s nearly midnight, chilly, and I’m running after a bus in four inch heels.
The cobblestone walkways of the Georgetown section of D.C. don’t help. I nearly trip at one point, stumbling briefly, then regaining my footing. My friend Mia – in more sensible footwear – is racing ahead of me to grab the bus before it leaves.
She’s successful.
She gets the driver to wait while I snap at some passing fratboys who comment suggestively on my shoes. We step on the bus, relieved, and then sit side by side. We’re quiet, as we’re both pretty tired, yet exhilarated by our evening. I can’t help but smile, because just two months earlier, I had met Mia on a bus…. in Southern Iceland.
Mike and I were headed back from our glacier climb on the Iceland Excursions bus. We were squeezed in the back, besides two other tired tourists. One of our guides, who was hitching a ride back to Reykjavik for the weekend, sat in front of us, chatting about Icelandic folklore and various fun facts.
A dark-haired, pretty girl sat across the aisle. She chimed in on our conversation, and before long, I was in the seat beside her, chatting like we had known each other for years. Her name was Mia, she was from Australia but living in D.C., and she had a few days layover in Iceland. Like us, she was attracted to all the amazing excursions and adventures Iceland Excursions offers – and that’s what brought her on this bus, in the seat besides me.
It was a long trip back. Long after most of the passengers had fallen asleep, we continued to chat. I eagerly conversed with her about all things female – the cost of makeup abroad, our favorite One Tree Hill episodes, and of course, boys. In hushed tones, we compared war stories, relationship advice, and the odd amount of strapping, Orlando Bloom-esque men in Reykjavik.
Honestly, I was starved for girl talk. It had been weeks since I said goodbye to Elizabeth and Vanessa, two of my closest girlfriends in Wilmington. I missed lunches with my work friends Claire and Amber, and desperately missed late night phone calls with my best friend Melissa.
Even months later in D.C., Mia was a breath of fresh air.
I was going to D.C. to meet with my boss, but a perk was I got to crash with Mia. With her help, I navigated my way through D.C. – checking out some incredible bars (and finally getting a decent dirty martini), attempting to see a National Geographic screening (it was sold out) , and meeting up with my cousin, Allison – who I hadn’t seen in years. I dragged her to a Levi Stephens show – trying to regain my old passion for up and coming artists – who we both are now obsessed with.
*If you do anything today, check out his cover of “Why Georgia”.
I believe that people cross our paths for a reason. Meeting Mia in Iceland may have just been a coincidence, but she provided me with a restored belief in “friends you’ve yet to meet”. Out there, I think there must be hundreds of other Mias, other friends, that I’ll happen upon in a bar, museum, or hey – a bus.
Of course, they won’t have her style.