Two couples bumped into each other in a taxi line, kickstarting a friendship of nearly 40 years

Standing in line for a taxi, in a hot and unfamiliar country thousands of miles from home, Tony and Karen Webb were feeling overwhelmed.

It was October 1987 in Freeport, a popular tourist destination in the Bahamas. Tony and Karen were visiting the island from Surrey, England. The couple were in their early 20s. They’d met as teenagers at a church youth club, fallen in love and enjoyed a recent, joyful wedding celebration. Never having traveled much before, they’d decided to go big for their honeymoon, stopping off at Miami, heading out on a Bahamian cruise and enjoying a stint in Freeport to soak up sandy beaches, sunshine and new experiences.

Arriving in Freeport, they’d marveled at the blue of the ocean and gasped at palm trees. They couldn’t wait to explore.

“It was a big holiday,”