"Love You Neil": Part II
Past Stories
Turns out Victoria had been trying to catch up with me for a few days. She heard of a fellow solo female Canadian cyclist, and was hoping we would cross paths. And sure enough, Neil (who neither of us had met) managed to bring us together BY COMPLETE COINCIDENCE. We both sit at Neil's table and she pours me a glass of wine. "Where did you get the wine from?" I ask.
Victoria is truly one of a kind. This lady carries 1.5L of wine, an absurd amount of bacon, and many other delicious treats on all her bike tours. You could imagine we got along very quickly given that I carry bacon fat to use for cooking on my tours. We both reflected on how crazy it was that we were doing our laundry, making dinner, drinking wine... all in a house that belonged to someone we had never met, AND we were not paying one dime.
Its around 9:30pm and Victoria and I are inhaling our dinner. Suddenly, we hear the garage open. Another guest?!
His name was Dan. He was traveling by motorcycle, kitesurfing all along the pacific coast. And he was also Canadian! Dan opens his backpack, and pulls out a dozen eggs. He drops all of them in one big pot of boiling water while telling us he has been staying at Neil's place for a couple days now. He then proceeds by eating all twelve boiled eggs in one sitting! Apparently he does this on a regular. Am I the only one that thinks this is crazy? Dan, if you are reading this, I am slightly worried for you.
Three Canadians in Seaside, Oregon ravenously eating, laughing at each others ridiculous habits and sharing some incredible travel stories. It was one hell of a night. We enjoyed each others company so much, we barely slept that night.
Neil is truly a legend. If it was not for him, I would have slept in the rain, not met Victoria (a woman I ended up sharing many adventures with further down the coast) or seen a man single handedly eat a dozen eggs within a few minutes. Neil's plants were watered, his floors were clean, and his kitchen was organized - and he hadn't been home in three months! Hundreds of travelers pass through Neil's house every year, leaving him bottles of wine, exotic spices from around the world and even sourdough starters (random, but awesome)! Neil's house is the perfect representation of the sense of community amongst travelers. We all pitch in to keep the place looking beautiful, because it is the least we can do to thank Neil and provide for our fellow travelers.
I feel as though I know Neil. I know he has a heart of gold. I know he believes people will be good if you give them a chance. In the wake of all the terrible recent news, I picture that smiley face on Neil's garage with simple words spray painted on the corner "Love You Neil". Neil, you have reaffirmed my trust in humanity. You encourage me to continue having an open heart and mind. You remind me of the simple fact that people are good. .
"Hey", she says.
"Uh, Hey"
"Come in, come in. Do you need any help?"
"No, no, I'm good. I'm sorry, who are you?"
Neil didn't mention he had a wife, I thought to myself.
And he didn't. That was a terrible guess on my part.
But anyway, back to the conversation.
"My name is Victoria. Are you Canadian?"
"YES, ARE YOU ?!"
"Yep. Are you Mariam?"
"What, how do you know?!"
Victoria and I reunited three weeks after meeting each other at Neil's place. Here were are picking strawberries on a farm right along our bike route in California.