A memorable reunion

One of the most anticipated events of the trip was meeting my brother-in-law, Prashant, and my friend, Swastik. We had everything planned out for two exciting weekend days, filled with few landmarks to visit and unique experiences. My brother-in-law, Prashant, accompanied by a brother, Santosh arrived at Sanford International Airport in Orlando on Friday evening. Swastik was scheduled to land around 6 am on Saturday. They would then head towards West Palm Beach early in the morning to pick me up, and we would enjoy the morning freshness of the beach underneath the infant sun rays for a few hours before returning to Orlando for the rest of our activities. Unfortunately, our initial plans to visit Miami and Tampa had to be canceled due to the long travel time involved.

But plans have a way of not going as planned.

When I woke up on Saturday morning, I saw a text from Swastik mentioning that his flight had been delayed by at least four hours. In response, I saw text of brother-in-law saying that they are coming to West Palm at the originally scheduled time to pick me up, in order to avoid wasting any more time. After reading those messages, I couldn’t help but think, “Swastik was looking forward to the beach, but he will miss out on the beautiful shores of West Palm”. However, I reassured myself that we could plan a visit to a beach near Orlando instead. After all, Swastik, who comes from Arizona, had yet to experience a beach in America since he arrived in January. With thoughts of the upcoming hours and the knowledge that they were already on the way, I was super-excited.

A few moments later, while I was still on the bed and procrastinating on the upcoming events of the day, my sister called me. I could clearly see the nervousness on her face as she spoke. Her words struck me with a mix of concern and relief as she said, “Dada, Jwai (brother-in-law in Nepali) had a car accident on the way.” That was the first thing I heard that morning, before I was even fully awake. My brain just froze. Heart pounding, no words — until she added, “But by the grace of God, they’re both completely fine.”

She kept talking, walking me through what had happened. I just listened, still processing. She wrapped up with, “They’re going back to the rental place to get another car and will still come pick you up.” She must have noticed I hadn’t said a word the whole time, because she offered a few reassuring words before hanging up.

After she hung up, I could not stop myself from contemplating various “what if” scenarios, and once again, I felt an immense gratitude towards God for sparing from another potential disaster. The thought that something worse could have happened, and that it would have been because of me, sat heavy. I felt a sense of relief when I called Prashant and confirmed that everything is okay. However, throughout the entire morning, I couldn’t avoid the thoughts of that event. I found myself continuously pondering how the plans unfolded so differently from what I had expected.

At around 10 AM, they informed me that it would take some time to get another car due to mandatory investigations after the accident. So, I made the decision to go to Orlando by myself. By that time, Swastik had also landed. Luckily, I managed to find a bus at 12 PM. I attempted to book an Uber to the bus station, but my debit card payment was declined. They helped me book the Uber, and I waited outside hotel hoping that Uber would locate me. Thankfully, I arrived at the bus station just a few minutes before the bus departed. Meanwhile, they rented another car, and came to pick me up at the bus station at around 2:30 PM. It was a lovely moment to see them after a long time, yet the incident in the morning had left me feeling grateful and filled with gratitude.

After exchanging greetings, we kicked off our visit by exploring Icon Park in Orlando. The park had an seemingly adventurous and exciting vibe, with its prominent features being a large Ferris wheel, a freefall tower, and a sea life aquarium. As we entered the aquarium, we were greeted by a wonderful display of sea creatures. It was fascinating to observe their movements inside the glass compartments, which were decorated with vibrant lighting, attempting to recreate the ambiance of the sea. While I wasn’t overly enthusiastic about seeing those things, there was still a sense of wonder in witnessing these new and unique creatures in their simulated underwater environment.

Following our aquarium exploration, we made our way to the towering Ferris wheel, anticipating a thrilling ride. However, to our surprise, the wheel moved at a slow pace similar to a turtle’s stroll. It turned out to be more of an observatory wheel, offering panoramic views of the Orlando cityscape. While the expansive city outlook didn’t evoke a resounding “wow” factor, it was still an enjoyable experience to take in the sprawling sights beyond our line of sight.

Slightly disappointed by the observatory wheel, we decided to skip the freefall tower, saving it for our visit to Universal Studios the next day. Instead, I suggested a trip to Cocoa Beach, as I had heard Professor Ioana speak highly of it during my recent visit to the NASA Space Center. The prospect of enjoying the beach enticed us all, and we unanimously agreed to make our way to Cocoa Beach.

After an hour-long drive, we finally arrived at Cocoa Beach. Stepping out of the car, we were immediately captivated by the breathtaking view. The transition from the bustling city to the serene seashore was truly mesmerizing, filling our hearts with surge of excitement. The refreshing sea breeze gently caressed our skin, while the scenes of graceful palm trees swaying in harmony with the soaring sound of the rolling sea waves was a sight to behold.

I can still vividly recall Swastik’s face lit up with excitement and happiness as he exclaimed, “I’ve never experienced anything like this. This place is incredibly beautiful!” We all shared the same sentiment. I also distinctly remember when we stood in the water, tidal waves approached us and flooded up to our knees. We felt the force of the waves pulling us towards the ocean, creating a sense of exhilaration. The sun slowly descending towards the horizon added a touch of supreme beauty to the vast ocean before us. It was a truly awesome beach experience. After enjoying the beach for about two hours, we decided to return to our hotel. Each one of us was extremely satisfied with the beach, and the serenity of the sea had a calming effect that washed away any lingering disappointment from the morning incident.

After our time at the beach, we made our way to an Indian restaurant for dinner, where we ordered a variety of typical Indian dishes and decided to try Panipuri as a dessert. However, after taking a few pieces, we quickly realized that the Panipuri was far below our expectations. We began complaining about it amongst ourselves, and to our surprise, we noticed a waitress nearby blushing as she overheard our conversation. This made us wonder if she was Nepali, as she seemed to understand what we were discussing. Curious to find out, Santosh dai called her over when she passed by our table. “Hello Didi!” he greeted her. She quickly turned around with a big smile on her face and confirmed, “Yes, I am Nepali.” She explained that she had been listening to our conversation and wanted to join in, but her boss preferred the staff to speak only English. We had a short conversation with her, and she kindly waived the price of Panipuri, understanding our disappointment. In gratitude, we thanked her with a generous tip before making our way back to the hotel.

It was incredible how things turned out that day: from how the day started to how it ended. Cocoa Beach was not even in our plans, yet it turned out to be the most memorable experience of the reunion.