Charleroi Non-Coincidence

Fresco painter Mihai Moroșan of Suceava, Romania

I was trying to make the in-room coffee provided us at the Hotel Leonardo in Charleroi, Belgium.  The pot wouldn't heat up.  I played with the outlet, tried other outlets known to work, and still no joy.  So, I pulled on my jeans and went to Reception with the recalcitrant coffee pot, to see if I could obtain a working model.

As I awaited the elevator, two younger men approached me, and I said, "Good morning, bon jour."  In American English, one of them replied, "Good morning!"

I asked where he was from.  "Philadelphia," he said.

"Oh, I have a brother who teaches at Penn.  What brings you to Charleroi?"

"We are painting a mural here," he said.

The conversation was brief, but I told him about meeting Mihai Moroșan during my Fulbright year in Romania, and of the frescoes that he paints, all around the world.

He responded, "Our partner in this project is also a Fulbrighter."

I wished them well.

The receptionist sent up a new coffee pot, so my morning is now off to a good start, replete with a non-coincidence, and coffee.