Useful Belief

Chapter Two A useful present

Sitting next to me on the flight to Singapore was a well-groomed young businessman. He had a tailored suit and perfect hair, and I couldn't help thinking how successful he appeared for someone a decade younger than me. I took a look around the cabin for Sarah, but I could not see her. Part of me was slightly disappointed, but I decided that the most useful move might be just to settle in for some quiet time.

I watched a movie, which took me a couple of hours into the flight. I pulled out the travel book on Barcelona I had bought and began to make a plan of the sights I wanted to take in. There were many things I was excited about. Obviously there were the beaches, the tapas bars and the Spanish night-life to look forward to, as well as a stroll down the famous Las Ramblas boulevard to take in the heartbeat of Barcelona.

I was particularly interested in the architecture of Antoni Gaudí. I wanted to see his famous La Sagrada Familia cathedral, still unfinished, even though the foundation was laid back in 1882. I was most excited about visiting Gaudí's modernist Park Güell. It fascinated me, mostly because it looked like a series of buildings out of a Dr Seuss book.

My excitement about visiting Barcelona for the first time was building. Not surprisingly, I hadn't given my speech much thought.

My immediate neighbour and I had yet to acknowledge each other. He would have been no more than 27, and he was clearly very busy. I had noticed out of the corner ...