Fate Takes a Turn: I Found the Love of My Life on the Way to the Seaside
If anyone had told me when I was young that one day I would meet my destiny right on the side of the road, I would have probably just laughed it off. Yet, here I am, nearly fifty years later, with a smile on my face as I recount this tale to my grandchildren—at first, they’re skeptical, then they laugh, and by the end, they always ask to hear it again. For true love can find us even in the most unlikely of places—like a highway to the seaside, under the blistering summer sun.
I was seventeen then, freshly graduated from school, and I decided I needed a break before starting college. A plan formed: head to the English coast with my girlfriends, to that little seaside town we all dreamed about. As was typical, we had scarcely any money, and someone suggested, “Why not hitchhike?” We split into pairs to make catching a ride easier. I paired up with Hannah—a girl I barely knew who had joined our group at the last minute.
We made it to the outskirts of the city without much trouble. But beyond that… The others rode ahead, and we were left standing in the heat. Eventually, a lorry stopped, but it had space for only one. Hannah jumped in, promising to meet me at her grandmother’s in the seaside town. Alone on the scorching road, under the relentless sun, I felt a lump in my throat. I contemplated heading back home, feeling as though all was lost.
Just then, an old rattling Mini Cooper pulled up beside me. Behind the wheel was a young man, about twenty, with a light shirt, a suntan, and a slightly embarrassed smile. He said he was heading to his grandfather’s near the coast. I hesitated but got in, and in that moment, my life’s story began.
His name was Charlie. He had just returned from serving in the army and was planning to attend an architecture school in London. As we drove, he shared amusing stories from his service, joking and laughing, and I felt my nervousness melt away, replaced by a sense of ease and… attraction. We talked as if we’d known each other forever. He was kind, sincere, utterly different from any guy I’d met before. We reached the coast, and he offered to drive me all the way to the seaside town. I accepted.
As we said goodbye, he blushed and quietly asked if I’d like to meet up in London. Naturally, I agreed. And that meeting did happen. Then another. And then—love. True, quiet, assured love. We married two years later, when he was already studying and I was working. We led a modest life, but we were happy. We raised two children, followed by grandchildren…
Recently, my eldest grandson came home beaming. He exclaimed, “Grandma, I’ve fallen in love!” Turns out, he was driving along a road when he saw a girl struggling to start her car. He stopped to help. Then they had coffee. Then a movie. And a month later, he introduced us to her. A lovely, bright, delightful girl. Now they’re planning their wedding.
And I think—life takes the most extraordinary turns. How long the road to the coast turned out to be, and how much happiness it brought me. Don’t be afraid to open yourself to the world—love comes when you least expect it.
