I’d rather have two seats all to myself. But the bus was relatively packed. So when a seaman asked if he could sit beside me, I said yes.

The ride was from Dubrovnik to Split. We exchanged a few words. And then, radio silence. But I distinctly recognised the smell of alcohol.

A few minutes in, he pulled out a 1.5 litre bottle out of his bag. The first time he opened it, I heard a fizzling sound.

I suspected it was beer. But my clock said 8am. For sure, it must have been cola.

After a few rounds, my eyes managed to catch the label. The word “lager” was printed on it.

He wasn’t rowdy. He minded his own business. There were no signs of puking.

While I observed, I wasn’t bothered. He has his life. I have my own. We all have our baggages.

He got off after an hour. His trip ended. And so did his drink.

He lived in Ston. My destination was 3 hours away.

I wish him all the best.

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For places I visited in Croatia, you can visit these links: Zagreb and Dubrovnik.

The trip to Dubrovnik happened on April 2023.