Pete B

In my 30's, I was studying for an M. Ed. degree In Cardiff Uni and was soon travelling every week with a guy who lived some 5 miles away and who was studying on the same course. We became close friends. We both arranged our summer holidays at the same time (January 1980), he was going to Florida, I was taking my family to Athens. Days before we were both due to travel, independently and without knowing each other's circumstances, we were both let down at the last minute by our tour operators and told our holidays were cancelled. We hastily re-arranged our holidays with other, different holiday providers and again, neither party knew of these arrangements. I was taking a swim early one morning off an isolated beach in the tiny Crete resort of Elunda; I'd swum out for 20 minutes and returned, keeping my head under water at the last until my body was grounded on the sand. Putting up my head, I noticed a pair of feet in front of me. It was my friend, standing, looking out to sea, who hadn't recognised me! He too was staying in Elunda. How co-incidental was that!