Story 5: The Train in Spain

In 1988 I spent three weeks traveling through Spain and Portugal with my friend Bruce. To get back home to America we decided to return to Madrid from the Costa Del Sol in a sleeper car.  We would travel at night, sleep aboard the train, and be back at Madrid in the morning. It seemed like a foolproof plan except for one incident.

Bruce and I were sleeping on the top bunks, and beneath us was a Spanish family. In the middle of the night there was an explosion. 

 What the hell was that noise? I said to myself. Did the train derail? Or maybe it was the work of terrorists? 

I looked down at the Spanish family and they were all covered in water, and screaming, “Agua, Agua.”

What happened? I wondered, and then I saw the cause. Apparently, my extra large water bottle had fallen from it’s location on the top bunk, and landed on the ground with the impact of a missile. Water went all over the family and their belongings. The father of the group picked up his brown suede shoes now soaked with water and exclaimed, “Mis Zapatos, agua.”

My friend Bruce used to say that for some reason when I am in a crisis my Spanish always seems to kick in. I’m not sure if that’s true but after a few moments I replied to the family, “Lo…..Lo siento.” (I’m sorry), they briefly acknowledged me, and then tried to go to sleep once more.

Life Lesson Five: What can we learn from this story? Perhaps knowing the five P’s: Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. Being prepared can help us deal with problems if they arise, and often helps prevent some of them.  I probably could add “Proper pronunciation.” to this list as well, and to remember that as they said in the film My Fair Lady, “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.” and sometimes in the train if you aren’t careful.