Welcome to the Erasmus Hostel!!!
A bustling intersection of stories creating a tapestry of random encounters, life changing experiences, and perhaps a legitimate chance at finding the one.
The flight from home turned into a 15-hour nightmare, a montage of the worse possible scenarios coming to life. The flight was delayed due to a storm on the flight path which, in turn, caused non-stop turbulence. To top that off, the airline lost your Osprey Porter Travel Pack so you spend another hour trying to file a lost luggage form and asking the nice baggage clerk to double check just in case it was left or misplaced somewhere in the airport. Luckily, this isn't your first time backpacking and have packed your travel essentials along with a week's worth of clothes into your carry on.
It has been a long drive to the hostel. You must have dozed off because you were jolted awake by the careening halt of your Uber. With a curt smile and a nod, you poke out of the car. Finally, you are face to face with the only hostel in the city, an unassuming book spine building that has flower boxes underpinning each window. With a deep exhale, you attempted to shake off the bad juju that has plagued this trip thus far. Trying to ground yourself in the moment, you looked down only to notice a giant splotch of brown stain in your pants.
It looks like you have peed yourself!!!
It must have been from that one particularly rough patch of turbulence that caused you to spill your dinner. You thought you had cleaned it up! You were obviously wrong as it did not dry clear. Is this why the clerk and the Uber driver both looked away bashfully as you tried to make conversation?! You are frazzled all over again futilely resisting the warm tears that start to trickle down your face.
"Hey there!" greeted a tanned guy behind the check in desk. His Australian accent unmistakably warm. "A cold one?" He offers you a beer after a quick assessment that you are visibly not having a good day.
"Hi, I'm (Name). I'm here to check in." You give him the booking number you had written on a note app on your phone. "I have reservations for a private double room with my friend, Taylor. Taylor Hunt."
"Sure thing, mate! Just give me a sec while I pull up the reservation information." He taps on the keyboard almost melodically. Meanwhile, you give him a languished summary of your trip when he asks how your day is going. Then his silence grows into a pregnant pause much like his furrowing brow when he begins to type more aggressively.
"Fuck me dead!" he exclaims. Catching himself, he slowly and sheepishly looks at you bobbing up from the computer. "So... it looks like your reservation was initiated but not completed. It's rare but it's a glitch that happens sometimes and almost always when the booking is done through a secondary travel site."
"Can I just book the room now?" You ask almost pleading.
"Unfortunately, the problem is that we are fully booked at the moment. The only thing we have available that would be able to accommodate you and your friend is our co-ed 4-bed dorm room. But there's one guy already staying in there at the moment. Are you cool with that?"
Taylor was supposed to fly in tomorrow. However, the very same storm system that delayed your flight has cancelled hers. Sure, she was able to get another one but the soonest flight she could get was in three days! This would mean you're sleeping in a room with a total stranger for four nights! Defeated and knowing that you are far too tired, it was far too late in the evening, and far too expensive to go to a halfway decent hotel, you took the Aussie's kind offer.
"I'm Daniel. Danny for short. Don't tell the others but I gave you a bit of a discount." His voice pitching higher and lingering on the word "bit."
"It's the least we could do for you here at the Erasmus Hostel." He shifts into a playful professional tone coupled with a straightened back.
"But seriously, please don't hesitate to ask me for help. I work most days trying to save up for my next trip, Thailand." He almost whispers the last part as he leans over to give you the quick directions to your room on a laminated map. You carefully pocket two white cards inside a key card holder looking at the elevator across the lobby.
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." You carefully walk through a handful of hostelers talking and laughing heartily in the cramped sitting area. Snaking through the pockets of people, you nod to a Frenchmen and an Italian having a passionate and wildly animated conversation. While, you almost trip on the foot of a tall guy reading a copy of the European Business Magazine.
Once you are in the hallway, the path to the room was fairly straightforward- a mere elevator ride to the 3rd floor and 2 doors down on the right, just past the communal kitchen.
With a quick tap of your key card, you enter a dark room. Inside there are two bunk beds, each with two pillows topped with a set of towels. A quick sniff confirms that they actually smell as freshly washed as they look. One of the bottom bunks is clearly made but done differently so you pick the other bottom bulk right next to the window. Your mystery roommate must still be out. Well at least someone is having fun, you think to yourself.
Taking the opportunity, you quickly grab your toiletries and rush to get a hot shower in and wash this long day off of you. The hot water playfully prickles comfortably against your skin and for the first time today you feel relief. Minutes later, you are rummaging through your backpack to find your adapter to resuscitate your freshly dead phone.
You send quick updates to your folks back home and to your friend Taylor who is on standby and hoping to get an earlier flight. As you peruse your social media accounts, slumber gently takes over and you are slumped on the bed surrounded by a constellation of your stuff.
Sunlight streaks through the sheer window curtains. It unapologetically prods you awake, reminding you that your time on this trip is limited and that the right amount of coffee will inevitably mitigate the weariness your body has endured. Outside, there is not a cloud in the sky so you're quite optimistic that your luck is about to turn around. Still in your pajamas, you sit up closer to the window for a better view. It was then you notice a seemingly familiar guy with striking yet austere features sitting on the bunk bed opposite yours. You try to introduce yourself but before you could utter a word, he walks up to your bed. You remember making a mental note of how tall he is as he hands you a hair tie you must have dropped on his bed as you were fixing your hair.
"You breathe through your mouth when you sleep. It could be a deviated septum. Please consult your physician to address this issue."
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