Unexpected invitation
My her friend and I were doing an agricultural internship on a river island called Guara Island, we were a group of ten students. While we were having lunch she said to me:
"This weekend is long because Monday is a holiday, my mom asked me to visit my aunt who lives in the city of Cumana. Would you like to come with me?"
"I would like to go but I don't have much money for the trip".
"Don't worry, we'll go by bus and then we'll ask for a queue and that way we'll save money"
"That's a dangerous thing to do, you never know who you might meet on the way". I wasn't very convinced about that.
"Don't be afraid, nothing bad is going to happen to us. Come on, come with me, I don't want to go alone."
She was one of my best friends and she was very adventurous, so I let myself be carried away by her enthusiasm and said yes.
Saturday morning we took a bus that took us to the city of Puerto La Cruz about four hours from where we were and we still had a long way to go. There on the road we stopped to ask for cola.
The sun was blazing but we didn't have to wait long and a yellow wolswaguen stopped in front of us. The glass of the car door was lowered and we saw a very tall and thin man, a little hunched over and with his head very close to the roof of the car. He asked us with a foreign accent in a very brusque tone of voice.
"What are you doing here asking for cola, that's very dangerous. Where are you going?"
My her friend, who was usually the one doing the talking, approached the window and told her.
"We are going to Cumana to visit an aunt"
"I'm going to take them because I'm going there and so they don't keep asking for a line."
We got in the car, me in the back and my friend in the front, who immediately began to talk to the man. I just listened. We found out that he lived in Cumana with his wife, that he was Russian and had been living in the country for many years. He knew that we were students from Maracay and that we were in the Orinoco Delta on an internship.
We arrived to the Cumana, the sea looked very blue and its smell reminded me of the central coast near where I lived. The car continued along the coast that borders the city and at that moment the gentleman said to us.
"I am going to take them to my house so that my wife can meet them."
More than an invitation it was an imposition. We got scared and my friend tried to tell him not to worry because they were waiting for us. But he told us it was just for a moment. But it wasn't.
We arrived at a very cool house typical of that colonial area, with a central courtyard full of plants. There we were greeted by his wife, a very young and beautiful woman. With light brown skin and long black hair, she welcomed us warmly as if she already knew us.
"Good thing my husband brought them, it is very dangerous to ask for cola". Again we received our scolding.
In that house there was a lot of hustle and bustle and we realized that they were going to celebrate an important event.
We stood in the living room not knowing what he was doing. We tried to slip away without anyone noticing, but at that moment the man's wife called us to introduce us to a cousin, a young girl of about 15 years old, and she told us
"Today a cousin of mine is getting married and I want you to come to the party with us". And addressing her husband.
"What do you think, we can bring them along."
"Of course they are coming with us. You are invited."
"But what are you going to wear to the party?"
We only brought in our backpacks bathing suits and a pair of shores. And we told them we didn't have the right clothes for a party.
"That's not a problem, I'll lend them" My friend, who was tall and stout, could use the lady's clothes, but I was slim and short. The cousin lent me a white shirt and pants set. So we had figured out what we were going to wear.
There in the house we bathed, dressed and got ready for the party that was to be held in a country house on the outskirts of the city.
In the evening we left with the family and arrived at the house. In a large courtyard lighted with light bulbs, there were tables and chairs.
The dirt floor had been tamped down so as not to raise dust. At the back of the courtyard there was a stage where a musical ensemble was playing typical oriental music and dance rhythms.
We sat at a table with the family, the Russian man, his wife, mother and cousin. In the center there was an arrangement of very fragrant white flowers with orange blossom bouquets and placed in a cooler with lots of ice there was a bottle of champagne ready to toast to the happiness of the bride and groom.
In the kitchen of the house there was a lot of activity preparing and serving the appetizers: tasty cheese tequeños, small cakes with meat and chicken, ham and cheese sandwiches and then the main course: grilled meat and chicken with yucca and salad.
A feast in which we participated in such a cordial atmosphere in the company of people we had just met but who made us feel like family.
That night we ate, danced, laughed and talked under the light of the bulbs but also under a starry sky and a breeze that brought us the scent of the sea.
We had an experience that exceeded all our expectations and we were still able to visit my friend's aunt.
Traductor www.deepl.com
It was dangerous going in with a stranger to his house and also to the party. Thank goodness no harm was done and the feast was worth it
It was a big risk since we accepted him to take us but everything turned out well because they were nice people and treated us with a lot of respect and we enjoyed that party.
Saludos @jjmusa2004 y muchas gracias
It was very brave of him to agree to go to the stranger's house. I'm glad it all went well. Sometimes what you don't plan for is what you enjoy the most. Regards.
It was a risk we decided to take from the moment we asked for a queue. When I was a student, it was very common to do so, but it had its risks.
These people were very hospitable and respectful and it is very typical of oriental people. It was an unforgettable adventure.
Greetings @juniorgomez and thank you very much for reading and commenting on my story.
He was truly a compassionate man. It seems that at first, the acceptance of his offer was driven by the shortage of funds, not minding the potential risks involved. I'm exciting that his intentions were genuine and you girls had fun.
He and his family were very kind and treated us with love and respect.
We had a lot of fun and a nice story to tell.
Greetings @marynn and thank you for your comment.
It's so enjoyable, nice writeup
Thank you very much @rare-gem.
Glad you liked it 😊
You are welcome
It really was a very intense experience and very exciting. Fortunately, the russian was a good person and very hospitable.
Thanks for sharing.
Good day.
That's right, at that time when we were students it was an adventure to travel by request but also risky.
Those people were very nice and made us spend some very pleasant days in their company.
Greetings @riconpoetico7 and thanks for commenting my story
That could have easily ended differently. I wouldn't risk it but its a very nice story
It could have been a different story. But they were good people.
Thank you very much for your comment.
Regards @egboncass
It's a great feast with the look of things. Not everyone would be like this guy.
This family was very good and in that we were very lucky.
Greetings @ and thank you very much for your comment
Regards @cool08
hello @popurri please could you amend the source URL for your image. The URL link takes us to a general page on pixabay and we can see that by scrolling through all the images on that page, we do come across this image, however, you need to then click on the image which take you to the dedicated page for that image and gives accreditation to the photographer.
Thank you @theinkwell for the observation. I have corrected it.
Regards
A potentially dangerous situation turned into an invite to a joyous celebration. It's difficult to know what to do in situations like this. It feels like you and your friend were very fortunate to have met up with decent kind-hearted people. It could quite easily have turned out differently!
With respect to the Deepl translation, look out for instances of "my her" which mix possessive pronouns. "my friend" would denote the friend is one of yours. "her friend" would denote that the friend belongs to someone else. Another translation issue is the selection of the words "queue" and "line." I think you were meaning to use "lift" as in get a ride with someone else?
Thank you for sharing this experience with us in The Ink Well.
Thank you very much @theinkwell for the comments and observations on the English translation, I had that doubt.
Regards