Two men sat side by side in a quaint area of Murphy’s Pub in London, their conversation and the clinking of glasses dominating the room. One of them made a sly eye contact with the other as he turned to face him.

He said, a grin growing on his lips, “I can’t help but imagine, from listening to you, that you’re from Ireland.

The second man grinned with satisfaction. “That’s right, I am,”

The first man leaned forward, and they began to feel closer to one another. “Then I’m the same, too! And from what region of Ireland are you perhaps from?

“I’m from Dublin, born and bred!” the other man exclaimed in enthusiastic response.

The eyes of the first man glowed. It really is a small world, Faith! I’m also from Dublin.

Mary the mother and Begora! The second man said, “And what street did you live on in Dublin?”

A nice small area it was, the first man reflected with a smile of nostalgia in his eye. Right in the middle of the historic district, I resided on McCleary Street.

The smile spread across the second man’s face. Isn’t it a twist of fate, then? McCleary Street was where I also resided.

The first man was so excited that he was virtually bouncing. And where did you attend school, my friend?

The second man gave it some thinking. “Of course I went to St. Mary’s,” you say.

The first man was quite excited. “Praise be! I did too! I did too! Tell me, please, when you graduated from college.

The second man retorted, “Well, let me think… I graduated in 1964,” with a glint in his eye.

The first man’s voice quivered in shock. God must be looking down on us tonight, smiling! I find it hard to believe how lucky we are. I earned my degree from St. Mary’s in 1964.

During their story-telling and hearty laughter session, the two new friends were joined by Vicky, who approached the bar. The bartender, Brian, walked over to her while sighing in frustration and shaking his head.

He sighed and said, “It’s going to be a long night tonight.”

Vicky was perplexed and inquired, “Why do you say that, Brian?”

Brian groaned once again and threw a tired glance in the direction of the two guys who had just learned of their shared past.

He said with a sardonic smile tugging at the edges of his mouth, “The Murphy twins are drunk once more.”