I have never much liked airports. The system is far too confusing, with all the check-ins and check-outs, and nameless things inbetween. I was thankful that it was not me that was to be travelling.
I tried to focus tired eyes on the arrivals board, and succeded on the second attempt, vowing that never again would I allow myself to offer to meet someone at an airport that is a two hour train journey from my home, when their flight is due in at eight in the morning.
When I began to think that life couldn't get that much worse, there came a crackle from one of the loudspeakers, and a sickly sweet woman's voiced blared out, snivelling that she was terribly sorry (yeah, right), but the V351 flight from Atlanta due in at 8:02am had been delayed by approximately two hours due to a late VIP passenger.
Growling that if I ever got my hands on that 'VIP' I would wring their neck, I found a vacated seat and slumped in it.
Time must have passed as I slipped in and out of sleep, because I was woken by the same sickly voice blasting out of a loudspeaker directly by my ear, informing the friends and family of passengers on the V351 flight from Atlanta that the flight had landed at gate 12, and that she was terribly sorry about the delay.
After a mad dash to the other side of the airport, and getting lost twice on the way, I arrived at gate twelve. It was empty. Not a single living soul was there, unless you counted a scabby, ferel pigion that was giving me a filthy look from its perch on top of a bin.
I was just about to utter some choice words to give vent to my frustration, when I heard a quiet cough behind me. I felt my breath catch and the words died in my throat. Steeling myself, I swivelled round to face the newcomer. Suddenly I didn't feel tired any more. The stress, the journey, the delay, the wait, and the frustration all vanished from my mind in the light of the person standing before me. It may have been raining, cold, too bloody early, and countless other things, but for that moment everything was perfect.1
Author notes
Random musing on a wet monday. Missing my friend in America and wishing I was meeting him off the plane at Manchester Airport rather than sitting here avoiding revision. Miss you Brady!
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