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They met on a ferry on its way to a tiny island off the coast of Helsinki. More specifically, the man and woman met because the man had accidentally bought two tickets instead of one. He realised before the ticket inspector came so he offered the pretty lady sitting next to him the other one. She smiled and gladly took the offer, saving 3.75€ and the journey alone. As a result of their chance encounter, the two chatted while the sun soaked sea and the islands floated past them. At first he didn’t mention his profession because he was embarrassed about being a driving instructor. To tell you the truth she expected worse when he hadn’t said (she thought only criminals would care enough to not be upfront about what they do). She also found it odd that she didn’t find him unattractive, for it was rare to find an attractive and friendly man. His English was also good, or at least better than the English of most other people in this foreign place.
Having reached the harbour of the island, there was a decision to make. Neither of them wanted to part but neither of them wanted to make it awkward. Their initial excuse was happening to walk the same way. As more paths sprouted from the thick central one, their uniroutedness became less and less likely. She decided to be the one to make the move because she had heard it to be acceptable according to the local culture. Sure enough, he didn’t object. She was delighted but surprised at how the situation had turned out, as any man back home would surely have labeled her as desperate and deranged.
At first they walked around and explored the island. It was a Monday so there weren’t very many people around. Only elderly people and families with small children had come on the boat with them. These same people had already scattered around the island. In a strange turn of events, most of the older people went to sit on the boulders from where they could climb into the sea. The families congregated increasingly on the beaches. It was unclear which beach they should choose as there were many. They eventually settled on one on the south side of the island, conveniently near the only restaurant/cafe. It was the perfect spot: secluded and less busy than all the rest. After splaying out their towels, they both wanted to go swim, but one of them needed to stay behind and watch their things. In an act of chivalry, he allowed her to go first.
In a few hours they were tired of the beach. Watching wistfully at how the breeze pushed past above them, they simultaneously understood themselves to have underestimated the boulders. Older people who had been coming here for years apparently knew that the peaceful views from up above on the sturdy rocks beat the dirty sand that made itself known on the beaches. Dragging their gear, the man and the woman climbed up to the boulder. As they lounged on the baking rock, it didn’t feel as though they were 15 minutes away from the city, but as if they had departed from their lives entirely. The perfect spot for a one day holiday, she thought. From their higher vantage point up on the boulder they could see many small boats speed past. Forgetting that they would probably never see eachother again, she suggested they buy a boat together. He had nothing against the idea, but she knew that the heat of the moment was making him complacent.
Lunch time came around. The previously mentioned restaurant/cafe was their only option. Everything was cold and nothing looked particularly appetising. She decided on the wrap and he tentatively went for the sandwich. The wrap was soggy and composed of a slightly strange array of ingredients, but that is what she had expected when picking it. He had a sandwich that was slightly better than the wrap, but still relatively tasteless. He was from around here so he was used to it.
Having made it back to their beach-towel encampment, there was one problem remaining: both the man and the woman wanted to go swimming. The biggest barrier stopping them was the thought of climbing down the slippery and flimsy steps attached to the side of the boulder. As the two contemplated whether they should risk slipping and go in anyways, they noticed that the man belonging to the couple of the beach-towel-camp next to them was down on one knee. This other pair was one of those outdoorsy couples. The proposer was wearing keens and carrying a strappy backpack. The proposee was also wearing nylon leggings and radically colored Nike clothing. Even from afar it was clear that the “outdoorsy lady” had on way too much makeup for the occasion. As the proposer popped open the tiny velvet box, the rouged lips of his girlfriend twisted into a scowl. The man and the woman were too far away for them to hear exactly what was going on, but the rejection was plain to see in the proposer’s expression. The man and the woman watched the life changing events of the nearby couple unfold in silence. Sometimes the world is like that, he said to her in English. She agreed.
In the afternoon there were more people at the beach than in the morning. The place felt much more appealing when there were a lot of people. She had brought a book and wanted to read it, but didn’t want to seem rude so she resisted the urge. As this thought became apparent to her, she realised that she had liked her day-trip companion more initially. He had turned out to be a lot more boring than expected. It felt like a burden to follow every remark about her life with “how are things here?”. Maybe this is why people tend to end up with people they have a lot in common with, she thought. She looked around at all the mothers and wondered if they had ever felt different to their husbands but decided to go along with it anyways.
He also felt the same way about her. Perhaps the pressure of spending an entire day with a stranger had been too much for him to handle. It wasn’t so easy to make up new jokes and funny comments when you were dealing with a foreigner.
It was thanks to the awkward vibe infecting their relations that they grew anxious towards the afternoon. It wasn’t anything in particular that did it, but the same people who made them feel excited before now only annoyed them. Moreover, the man thought he saw someone he knew (an ex-girlfriend), so he was understandably quite on edge. This sudden increase in nervousness didn’t go unnoticed by the woman. She wanted to go home, and took the time to check the internet to see when the next ferry would be departing. They were sitting on a painted wooden bench near the docks as she searched for the electronic version of the departure schedule of the ferries. There were seagulls in the sky, screaming and hunting among the tourists for snacks. One of the seagulls cleverly swerved from between the treetops and rocketed towards them. Acting as if it had seen food, it swooped in towards one of the woman’s colourful earrings. The man shooed it away. The woman thanked him, and he said of course, it must be difficult for foreigners to know how to deal with these local nuisances. After that there wasn’t much to say anymore.
On the way back they still sat together out of obligation, in mutual understanding that this was a one time thing. It had been valuable for them in different ways, but not something they would do again. They parted for good at the harbour, saying their goodbyes politely. Without checking its final destination, she hopped onto the first a tram that came into a square. She made it in just as the doors were closing. The tram was crowded and the people around her were excited and smelled of sunscreen. Many were burnt and some were drunk. She opened her phone to find out which island she should visit tomorrow.
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WAST WRTNG 