weird re-encounter

In the early 1970s my wife and I were teaching in Ethiopia. We came to know a young Ethiopian university graduate, and his girl friend. When we returned to America in 1974 we said fond farewells, even donating my wife's wedding dress for their use, but because of the political turmoil in Ethiopia we thought it best not try to maintain contact. Flash forward to the summer of 1985. We and our two teenagers were taking a month-long vacation in Europe, culminating with a few days in London. Our daughter wanted to visit the shopping district, so she and my wife sought out Harrod’s while my son and I went to the British Museum. However, our daughter suddenly and desperately needed a bathroom. So they went into a McDonald’s restaurant. While my wife was waiting in line in the ladies’ room, a black woman approached her and hesitantly called her by name. She then identified herself as our friend from a decade earlier. She brought my wife and daughter to the eating area and presented them to her amazed husband. Incidentally, by this time our daughter had announced that she didn’t really need to use the bathroom after all. What were our one-time friends doing in London? One of them was in a summer study program, I think in Wales. The other was working for an international organization, I believe in Paris. They had both come to London for a quick visit so they could see each other. My wife, daughter, and friends all walked from McDonald’s to the British Museum to find me. On the way, the Ethiopian woman commented that her high-heeled shoes were hurting her. My wife asked why she was wearing them. She replied, “Oh, I wasn’t planning on so much walking. We weren’t supposed to be here. We got off the Underground at the wrong stop!”