Missed Train Sparks Love Story

On a six-hour train ride from London to Edinburgh in 2000, Maire Clifford decided to pass the time while her then-boyfriend slept by venturing to the train’s smoking carriage. There, she struck up an easy conversation with a fellow traveler, Andy Bain, who’d missed his original train.

They exchanged emails, stayed in touch, and eventually reunited. By the time Clifford visited Bain in Edinburgh for New Year’s, he confessed he believed she was his soulmate, even though they’d never even kissed.

Bain later proposed at Paddington Station with his grandmother’s ring, and Clifford said yes. They married in 2003 in New Zealand, surrounded by close friends and family.

Their story is a perfect example of the butterfly effect—one missed train, one lit cigarette, and a love story for the ages. That chance meeting, Clifford says, made him “believe in fate.”

Indian  Man Teaches Thousands to Swim

Each morning at 5:30 a.m., Saji Valassery transforms a quiet stretch of the Periyar River in Kerala, India, into a floating classroom. See photos here.

Since 2009, the furniture shop owner has taught more than 10,000 people to swim, spurred by a tragic accident in which 15 children drowned in a 2009 boat accident.

What began as informal lessons for neighborhood kids has grown into the Valasseril River Swimming Club—a structured, tiered program open to all ages and abilities. Saji’s 16-day method for conquering fear of water has become a grassroots movement.

In a state where drowning deaths are prevalent, the Valasseril River Swimming Club has become a vital safety initiative, offering practical skills and community support along Kerala’s waterways.

Brothers Trade Win for Bonding

Brian and Melvyn Mole, brothers in their 60s from Coventry, England, gave up the lead in BBC’s Race Across the World to spend time together, choosing a detour to a vineyard in India during the penultimate leg.

Their decision cost them the top spot but deepened their relationship after years of barely talking beyond birthdays and holidays. Watch a trailer for the show’s fifth season.

Having raced over 8,700 miles across China, Nepal, and India, they said the experience brought them closer than ever. “We’re blokes, we don’t usually say ‘I love you,’” Brian joked, “but he was lucky to get a hug the other day.”

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“Do you believe in soulmates? Because I think that you’re mine.”

—  Andy Bain to Maire Clifford, after a chance meeting on a train from London to Edinburgh, leading them to fall in love.