Erin and Olivier finally walked through the doors of their flat and when they made it past the threshold they both let out deep sighs of relief. Neither one had been expecting the other and they laughed understandingly at each other. The apartment was a perfect little home away from home, Erin realized it was just as she had pictured when she'd been chatting with Olivier and her Irish roommate, Charlotte.
The house was just perfect for the trio, it had a small kitchen, dining room and three bedrooms. The only thing it was lacking was the bathroom department-- all three had to share a tiny bathroom in the main hallway, Olivier was certain he was going to have to get up at odd hours to get any time at all in the bathroom. There was a small landscaped walkway at the front of the house, and in the back was the piece de resistance, a massive garden with beautiful stone walls, covered in ivy. Everything was green and lush and beautifully shaded by massive trees.
As Olivier and Erin made their way into the living room, they heard the unmistakable sounds of their roommate, rocking out to Gwen Stefani's classic, "Hollaback Girl" clearly unaware that we had entered the flat. Instead of disturbing her, we explored the rest of the place and scouted out our bedrooms. The two bedrooms at the end of the hall were unoccupied and after scouting the two, Olivier and I decided that I'd get the larger one, with a lovely view of the garden that had so captivated me. "Are you sure you don't want this one?" Erin asked him one last time--hoping his answer would be unchanged.
"No, I like to be able to watch the street from my room," he said convincingly. And with that, Erin argued no further and took over the quaint room that overlooked the magical garden behind the house. At the far end of the bedroom, there was a window with a thick window sill and she could already envision herself spending long, lazy afternoons cuddled in a blanket reading a novel. Thinking of that, Erin withdrew her copy of "Jane Eyre" from her carry on and placed it on the ledge of the window. She continued unpacking, slowly relishing the overtaking of the cozy room. It needed a few feminine touches but it was just perfect. She couldn't resist a broad smile from overtaking her face.
Finally, after a few minutes, Charlotte shrieked and with a squeal, her lilting voice asked, "Oh my goodness! How long have you two been here?" It was clear that she was a bit embarrassed to have had her solo concert overheard, but they both happily responded that they'd just arrived. Finally, Charlotte popped her head around the corner to Erin's room and threw herself at Erin with a wide embrace, a grin from ear-to-ear.
"I've been worried sick about the both of you," she said. They explained that there had been some unexpected delays but that they were happy to be here now, the three of them from vast distances around the globe brought together by chance. And just that quickly, the three of them picked up where their last online messages had left off. Charlotte was telling us about her new love interest, a handsome young Croatian man who she'd met over the summer and they fell into a rhythm of familiar chat as if they'd been friends their whole lives.
After what felt like minutes to the trio, but had actually been more than two hours, they finally realized how hungry they were and Charlotte announced that to celebrate their arrivals, she was taking them out for a pint and lunch. The three had talked extensively about their favorite food, and they all knew immediately where they wanted to go. Charlotte had told them of a fantastic Thai restaurant located at the seaside and they were immediately convinced. Erin hadn't imagined that her first full day in Ireland she'd be eating Thai food--but all three had realized it was their favorite over their chats--so it was an easy decision.
Erin, Olivier, and Charlotte each went off to their own bedrooms to prepare a bit for heading out on the town and minutes later they met at the front door, ready to experience all Galway had to offer.