The Motorway Adventure

I wake up early at the hotel and have a shower. After that, I order some food to my room. I don’t have much money left, but I’m very hungry, so I take my time and enjoy the meal slowly. I sit by the window, looking at the street below. People are walking, cars are passing, and I can’t stop thinking about yesterday. My mobile is still dead, and I wonder if Julia is worried. She is a nervous person, and I hope she is all right.

After eating, I get dressed and leave the room. I notice the time on a clock in the hall: it’s ten o’clock in the morning. I start thinking about how to get back to Barcelona. I spent most of my money on the hotel. I don’t know where a bank is. I can’t access my account. Julia must be waiting. I need a solution—fast!

As I stand outside, I notice two workers carrying boxes towards a lorry. On the lorry, there’s a picture of paella with the name of a restaurant. I laugh loudly but quickly stop myself—I don’t want anyone to notice! It’s the same restaurant, La Paella Loca, that Julia and I were planning to visit in Barcelona.

I walk over to one of the workers.
“Hello,” I say.
“Good morning. How can I help you?” he answers.
“Do you work for this restaurant in Barcelona?” I ask, pointing at the lorry.
“No, I’m just a lorry driver,” he says.
“Do you know La Paella Loca?”
“Yes, we deliver rice there every week for their paella, but I don’t work at the restaurant.”

Suddenly, I have an idea.
“Excuse me?” I ask.
“Yes?” he answers.
“Could you take me back to Barcelona?”
“Now?”
“Yes. I have very little money, and I must get back to my sister!”

The driver thinks for a moment, then nods. “OK, get into the lorry. Sit between the rice boxes. And don’t tell anyone!”
“Thank you!” I say.

I climb into the back and sit happily between the boxes. A lorry is faster than a bus, and it costs me nothing. I relax and enjoy the ride. It is dark back there, and I can only hear the lorry’s engine and the cars on the motorway. Suddenly, something moves among the boxes. There’s another person hiding!

“Hello?” I ask. Silence.
“Who’s there?” I try again. Still silence. I get up and carefully walk over. To my surprise, it’s an old man. He is hiding between the boxes.
“Excuse me, who are you?” I ask.
“Leave me alone, please,” he answers. He speaks perfect English.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m travelling to Barcelona.”
“Does the driver know you’re here?”
“No. I got in while you were talking to him.”

At that moment, the driver stops the lorry and heads to the back. The old man hides behind the boxes.
“What’s going on in here?” the driver asks me.
“Nothing. There’s no one else,” I reply.
“Be quiet. We’re not in Barcelona yet. Understand?”
“I understand,” I say.

Once the driver returns to his seat, the old man comes out and smiles. “I’m lucky he didn’t see me!”
“Yes, you are,” I reply. “Why are you travelling in a lorry from Valencia to Barcelona?”
“Do you really want to know?”
“Yes, of course!”
He starts telling his story: “I have a son I’ve never met. Years ago, I moved to the United States for a job. The job didn’t go well, and I never returned. My son’s mother and he moved away. Recently, I found out they live in Barcelona.”
“In Barcelona?” I ask.
“Exactly.”
“How old is your son?”
“24.”
“That’s the same age as me!”
“What a coincidence!” he laughs.

After a few minutes of silence, I ask, “What’s your son’s name?”
“Armando. He has a flat in Barcelona near the restaurant The Crazy Paella—also known as La Paella Loca. That’s why I’m in this lorry.”

I can’t believe it. The man in the lorry is my friend Armando’s father! I sit back and think about how strange and small the world can be. I can’t wait to see what will happen next when I finally reach Barcelona.