A day like no other

What a beautiful day it was going to be she thought. The weather was predicted to be 85 degrees, sunny with little wind near her favorite little get away in the most southern part of the state.

It was very early in the morning, 4:30am to be exact and Annie decided to finally give in to her whims and take that long and winding drive along the coast to a small cottage to get some rest and much needed relaxation.

She had been procrastinating about taking time off for 5 years and finally decided today was definitely the day to make that move. She wanted to get an early start to avoid the traffic which was looming within the next few hours. She had packed a few bags and her laptop and camera for the trip.

She also could not leave behind her beloved pets, Sam the lovable Golden Retriever and Max the sweet Russian Blue cat. She had all of their things ready to go and she was packing up her car when she had a premonition.

She started having the strangest feeling that today was not going to be all that she had hoped and had the urge to delay once again, but she ignored the feeling and pressured on.

She was pulling out of the driveway finally around 6am and slowly and methodically made her way down her familiar street away from the neighborhood and local stores and businesses.

She was craving almost a solitary environment in order to get her latest project underway. She began seriously writing after she retired after working 30+ years as a Copy Writer for a local company and wanted to explore more ideas on her own time. She wanted to include pictures of her ideas and eventually have a book which she had been wanting to complete as well.

The drive was smooth to start within the first 50 miles, then started to get much busier on the roads and she decided to take an alternate and changed her course and destiny as well.

She saw a sign posted on a secluded road and decided to be adventurous and within a few miles came across a local store and gas station. She stopped in to get gas for the car and she ordered a sandwich and coffee and relaxed before heading back out.

She looked on her phone as to the new route she chose and noticed that it was definitely off the beaten path and only the locals knew it and she was nervous at first but decided to keep going.

Her pets were finally resting after the first hour and she felt better about her decision to continue on this unfamiliar road.

Things were going just fine for the first 3 hours, then all of a sudden, she hit a dead end! She was so startled as it seemed to be no warning whatsoever and she felt that her time and energy were wasted. She had to stop and shut off the car and decided to investigate.

When she closed the car door, the sound woke both Sam and Max. Sam started to whine, and Max was stretching and meowing and wanted to get out and join Annie. She rolled the window down a little bit and promised to be back in a few minutes. The sun was starting to get higher up in the sky and the air was feeling quite tropical.

She slowly walked in front of the car and noticed a narrow path. She swallowed quickly and made her way down the path and came across the prettiest little beach.

She couldn't believe her eyes at first and didn't want to wander to far in fear of the animals left in her warm car. She noticed a small house nearby and quickly walked towards it. There seemed to be no one home and she decided to knock on the door anyway. Well, after a few knocks and ringing the doorbell, a small, elderly man came and asked if she needed any help. He was only staying here until his nephew came by in a few hours and mentioned that his nephew would be the one to ask about accommodations.

She couldn't stay in her car and wait until he arrived, so the old man invited her and her pets to stay until he came by. She bid farewell and went back to her car and got her dog on a leash and cat in his carrier and a small bag and joined the old man for a while.

She found out his name, Mr. Roberto Sangria and he had lived in Spain for most of his life and recently moved to the states a few years ago to be taken care of by family. He explained that she would be guests of his in his home for as long as she wanted and that his nephew would be happy to have them as well.

Mr. Sangria was a very soft-spoken gentleman and wanted to ensure her that she would be safe here and if she came upon any trouble to just call the local constable which was only a few miles away.

She was dumfounded and couldn't believe her luck. She said that she would be foolish if she didn't accept his offer and decided that this was the perfect spot for her latest adventure. She and Roberto agreed on an amount which suited both of them. She quickly wrote out a personal check and handed it over before he changed his mind.

Roberto offered her a glass of ice-cold lemonade and she greedily accepted. She decided it was time to feed her pets and gathered their bowls and gave them food and water to satisfy their hunger pains. Her stomach was also growling, and she was about to go back to her car, but Roberto said he had a nice meal last Nite and there were leftovers, and he happily shared with her.

While they were sitting at the kitchen table talking, the front door opened and slammed shut and her dog and cat both ran and went to see the intruder. This turned out to be the nephew, Eduardo Fernandez.

He was much taller than his uncle and was equally as kind. He embraced his uncle and kissed him on both cheeks. He was immediately taken by Annie and her animals and wanted to learn more about what his uncle and her were discussing, but he said he was on a tight schedule and wanted to make sure his uncle was escorted back to his retirement community and the drive back was long and he wanted to get back before nightfall.

He quickly found out about Annie and her vacation and her newfound friends and agreed that she would be a welcome member to their small home and accepted her much reduced payment to stay and relax and rejuvenate.

Things seemed to be unreal Annie thought. Who would have ever guessed things would turn out this way? Was this predetermined or was it really fate? She couldn't have been happier and for the first time in a long while she felt complete.

They bid goodbye and she left her animals in the home, and she went back to gather the rest of her things and got settled for the time being. She felt blessed and positive this was meant to be. She believed in Karma and was certain this was her final destination.

The sun was started to set, and the sunset was going to be spectacular, so she decided to take a walk closer to the water's edge. She brought her camera with her and took some glorious photos of the entire area so she would have everlasting memories which she was certain to include in her book.

All in all, a most relaxing end to an interesting day for all.