French, Swiss, Greece, Norwegian, Nigeria

Franca Ohenhen’s five words:

French, Swiss, Greece, Norwegian, Nigeria

The girl had no idea where she was. She had bought a bus-ticket through Europe. She hadn’t travelled much before, only to visit grandparents in the countryside now and then. She had, felt she, led a boring and forutsigbar life and had decided to change that. First of all she wanted to travel, and since she hadn’t done that much, she found it wise to contact a travel agency, and at their advice join a bus-through-Europe travel.

And now she had been on the tour for two weeks and had decided that if she reached home safe and sound she would not travel for a long time. It was a daytime nightmare. They were 42 passengers altogether, mostly couples and people that seemed to know each other on beforehand. Ok, there were some singles, but singles were of odd numbers, and when they started to find each other, she became the odd number.

Sometimes she tried to read in the bus, but her fellowbussers, if she could use the word fellow about them, were quite a noisy gang. In addition they were quite a thirsty gang.

The girl at least realized she had one thing to do; survive as a loner amidst of a gang of noisy and thirsty people.

From that decision on the tour changed. She had actually after that a giving tour. She gave a good damn shit in what the others did. She occupied a double seat in the bus in the front where nobody wanted to sit. Every evening when they stopped to night-over at a hotel, she carefully studied the next day’s route and brushed up her knowledge about the area they should visit. She completely left behind her the feeling of not knowing where they were. She left that part to the noisy and thirsty gang.

She put great interest in the French history. She enjoyed the visit to Versailles. She admired the mountains of Switzerland and enjoyed the Swiss cheese. In Greece she enjoyed the nature of the Greek people. When time came to head northward to Norway she was actually sad. She knew Norway and Norwegians well, most Norwegians were ok people. Most of them. She cast a glance to the noisy and thirsty gang in the back in the bus. Most of them were.

When they reached back and time for parting came, the girl felt sorry for many reasons. Among other she had enjoyed to brush up knowledge. All the passengers lines up to thank the bus-drivers for a splendid and interesting tour. The girl also did so. One of the bus-drivers said he was hired a driver on a safari tour of one month in Africa. They co-operated with an travel agency in Nigeria. He knew there were still six places left of the altogether 14. Would she like to sign in? The girl needed no hesitation. She joined of course, she happily said. Some of the noisy and thirsty gang heard this also wanted to join. The bus-driver politely remarked that this was a closed trip where the deltakere had to be invited by some one. As such he invited the girl - my fiancé to be, he added with a smile.

The girl nodded.

– to be, she said.