It ended with the gorgeous views of the city from the terrace. On a beautiful and warm summer night.

It started with a cup of coffee and a French croissant. My usual weekend breakfast (sometimes had on a Friday).

Somewhere in between there was a short walk during lunch time to bask in the sun. More rare as the fall is approaching.

There was also ice cream. Most delicious pistachio ice cream in the city, steps away from home. I savoured every lick and every bite of it.

There was lots of reading. A 600 something page book, that ‘blends ideas about wellness culture, modern parenting, Internet algorithms, gentrification, and, most importantly, love’.

There was silence. So usual when I’m alone.

There was music. On the radio station of my choice.

There was even a bit of cleaning/closet clearing/’just throwing out whatever I no longer need’. Getting rid of clutter at home makes my head lighter.

All of those you could have foreseen. On a rare day I get to spend without my daughter.

What made the day interesting, however, were 2 unexpected and totally unforeseen events.

First…

I saw 4 newlywed couples in the space of 30 min.

I caught them all in the same city garden, a beautiful one at that. The garden has it all: the flowers, the fountains, the playgrounds, the ice cream, the river, the ponds.

As I walked the paths along the shaded benches, in the middle of the rich greenery and colourful blooms, I observed them having a picnic, taking leisurely walks or toying with creative photo-shoot ideas.

It is said that 75% of couples get divorced. This same number is mentioned in Wellness, too. It says the average marriage lasts 8 years. After that time people start looking for new and more exciting things.

London boy (yes, we still talk) makes even bleaker predictions:

And yet… Here they are, on one of the happiest, most beautiful, most important days of their lives… Eyes only for each other.

And I wanna scream: ‘They do believe in love! They do believe they can beat the odds! They are not getting married to get divorced 8 years later!’

I’m sure they, too, know about the divorce rates. And yet… here they are, those 4 couples in love.

Second…

I got chatted up by a stranger.

I was heading home, knowing I’ll stop for the ice cream on the way. Lost in my thoughts, I suddenly got stopped by ‘hola’.

‘Hola’, – I instantly replied.

That would have seemed unexpected (I don’t get chatted up by strangers all that often), but given the fact that I was in the part of the city popular with tourists, it seemed very normal, actually. Besides, the man was speaking Spanish! I jumped at the opportunity to practice the language.

I thought he’d ask me for directions. What else? But I have to admit, the man did not seem lost, and he took his time asking me whether I lived here and whether I was Chilena, as my Spanish was so good (why, thank you!). He continued with a little story of how the came to the city the day before and was leaving the day after, and how he just saw me and decided to ask for my phone number to invite me to spend some time together.

That I did not expect.

Do you know when was the last time somebody chatted me up like that? Ages ago! Maybe never? Hold on. Not never. I remember the time in Peru when a young man I never met before kept saying how beautiful I was. And I remember the young man in Belize claiming he was in love with me (he bumped into me on the street and that’s all one needs to fall in love, apparently).

And this guy here? I was dressed in my comfy clothes, not my fancy clothes! I was not out to show myself off. I was out to be alone. Was that why he struck up the conversation with me? Did the man approach me because I was alone, without my daughter? Because 99% of the time we are together.

This time my choice was easy: I had my ice cream to get to. So I told the man my little story about having plans for the night. He kissed me on the cheeks and said goodbye.

And so I kept walking, deep in thought, smile on my face.

On a day without her interesting things happen.