My sister and her daughter asked if there was enough space in my home for a couple of friends who will coming with them from Paris. I said yes, rooms could be rearranged to fit all.
Sister and niece arrived first. Later, we went to Gare du Midi to meet the friends, but no one showed up.
In the evening we received a phone call. They apologized because they have arrived late and didn't want to disturb us, so they decided to spend their first night in a hotel.
The following day we met. A mother and her 20-year-old daughter. The father had to stay in Paris.
A kindhearted family, as my sister told me, and very attached to each other. With only one daughter the parents were quite protective. They enjoyed a comfortable life and used to travel to Europe every summer.
The mother was a journalist with a monthly article in one of the biggest newspapers. daughter was beautiful, dark-skinned with green eyes and cola black hair. her childish face couple with the dry sense of humor made her company fun.
Moments after they entered the house, the mother asked who arranged the lush plant pots on the bookshelves. She praised my taste. She got closer to read the titles of the books and said "You have the whole series of the encyclopedia on the Egyptian history". "Comprehensive and easy to read" I commented. "I know, my father is the author" she said.
Two years later, three persons holding each other's hands were crossing a busy main road in a touristy east Mediterranean city when an over-speeding car hit them. They all died immediately. A tragic accident that deeply touched their friends, but a probably-insensitive thought was shared though "Leaving together could be sometimes more merciful"
