Special Boys

Nicholas

About a week ago, a woman got in touch, interested in booking a room for a night. After the usual back and forth, she let me know it needed to be a room with wheel chair access for her son. She was pleased with the video of one room I sent her: “it’s perfect! We can wheel him in without any problems. He doesn’t move by himself but we can easily carry him inside.”

She finalised the booking on 7th September, my brother Nicholas’ birthday. “What an interesting coincidence,” I said to my brother Martin. “Exactly on Nicholas’s birthday we book a family who have a boy just like him!”

In the pousada’s entire 17 years, I don’t remember us ever receiving a child with special needs like Nicky.

On Saturday they arrived, a lovely young couple. “Would you like to meet Nicky?” She asked me as her husband took the boy out of the car and placed him on his wheelchair.

“Excuse me,” I said. “Did you say Nicky?”

“Yes. His name is Nicholas.”

Goosebumps all over. I told her about the coincidences and from then on we had the most wonderful visit with them. It turns out they have an Instagram account dedicated to travel (with about 4,000 followers) where they promote different places they have been with their Nicky. They made beautiful Instagram Stories and Reels with our pousada and brought us some new followers. They were beyond kind.

“We’ll be back,” they promised as they said their goodbyes, and I believe them.