Cambridge Coincidences Collection

This happened maybe 20 years ago now. I used to commute from my area, a city of around 150,000 people, into a big city of around a million about an hour away (depending on traffic) for my job. One weekend a colleague was having a party at his house in that big city. Normally I didn't like to go back into the city but for some reason I can't remember, I decided to go. At one point in the evening, I'm sitting near this woman and in the course of trying to make the sort of polite conversation one has with strangers you know you'll never see again, I ask her where she's from. When I tell her in turn where I'm from she replies that her parents live in the same smaller city I do. I ask her what part of that city they live in? She says it's this really obscure place that I've probably never heard of. I encourage to her say it as I've lived in that city all my life and so I might know where it is. She gives in and tells me the name of the street, which is very unique. They were my neighbours 2 doors down. I confirmed her parents' last name, and was able to describe their house.

I live in NC, but went to school in VA. My school is a very small women’s college. I decided to plan a reunion for alumni who lived in my city. I picked a location in downtown, and then found out that the owner’s mother and best friend were alumni of the same school. So, I guess, serendipitously enough, out of all the bars, restaurants and meeting places in the city chose the right one!

My name is Martyn Lee, . I live in Straford upon Avon. In June 1953 my parents booked a family holiday in Devon. It was in a caravan at Looville Holiday Park in Goodrington, Torbay. It’s now a housing development but in the early 50s it was a busy little holiday park packed with static caravans.<br /> I was 6 years old and in my third year at my Infant School in Birmingham. I was in a mixed class of about 36 children. A big class, but these were the height of the Baby Boomer years. My parents plan was to take me out of school for two weeks in term time. In those days there was no law against this and your parents simply wrote a note to the school on your return. Understandably schools didn’t like this, but it was common practice. I was therefore sworn to secrecy. Under no circumstances was I to tell my teacher or any classmates of the planned holiday.<br /> In those pre motorway days the journey to South Devon from Birmingham in my Dad’s 1938 Morris 8, maximum speed 55 mph downhill, took about eight hours. On the Saturday morning we set off at first light, being mid June this was around 04.30.

I am agoraphobic. I can list the people I know within 200 miles all on one hand. Let me give them fake names. Sarah is like a sister to me. Betty and her daughter Samantha are friends who I am not super close with. Samantha introduced me to her best friend Alice who lives a full hour south of me about 9 months ago. No one else. Not even on social media. Literally everyone I know. I am head over heals about Alice. I have heard about her family and personal issues. We are sort of close. I live in Kansas City, so the population I know, statistically, is very small. Sarah is visiting me this evening. She works up the street, and is talking to me about her co-workers. A father and daughter we will call Al and Tina. Tina is going through a tough time, and Sarah thinks I will really like Al. I offer to help out Tina as her issues fall into my wheelhouse. Sarah agreed to bring both Tina and Al over to meet me. A few minutes later I happen to scroll past a photo of Alice. Alice, from an hour south of here is Tina's sister/Al's daughter. My world is not really getting larger. My closest friend around here happens to be working with the family of the girl I am into.