THE END.
Attention. Final call for SAA flight A342 to the end of the world now boarding at Gate E10. Repeat. Final call for SAA flight A342 to the end of the world now boarding at Gate E10.
Emily sits on the bench, luggage at her feet, holding the boarding pass and watching it tremble ever so slightly in her hand. She's waiting. She knows she has to get up, pick up her bags, run over to the boarding gates, go through security, make sure she hasn't forgotten her passport, double-check her boarding pass, get through the gates, onto the bus, shuttle over to the plane and get on. But she does none of this. Not yet anyway. She's waiting.
Her concentration is broken by a shriek. A shriek and a laugh. She looks up in time to catch a man encumbered with luggage receiving a shrill embrace from a woman who almost knocks him over in her excitement.
"You're back early!" she says.
"Thought I'd surprise you," he replies.
The man drops all his bags, opening himself up to receive her and only her. They kiss and in an instant become one single reunited entity, moving and breathing and touching in one synchronized motion. He breathes in and she breathes out and they are both finally satisfied. They stand for a moment observing their spots and freckles perfectly aligned. A mirror image.
"I missed you." she says.
"I'm back now," he replies.
Attention. This is the final call for SAA flight A342 boarding at Gate E10. Repeat. This is the final call for SAA flight A342 boarding at Gate E10.
"Emily!"
Emily's back arches. She recognizes that voice. It's what she's been waiting for but she doesn't dare turn her head for fear that it was only her mind, maliciously toying with her tense emotion. She listens. Footsteps pound the terminal floor, each one drawing nearer to her.
"Emily!"
Convinced this time, she turns to see Bobby huffing and heaving his way towards her. The muscles in her body relax. She doesn't have to wait anymore. Bobby's here and that makes everything alright. Usually.
"Emily I'm so so sorry! There was a massive accident on the highway and traffic was blocked for miles back. I left work early, like I said and I thought I'd have enough time but..."
"Shhhh. It's ok now," she says, placing her trembling forefinger on his trembling lips.
"Emily I'm sorry. How much time do you have?"
Attention. This is the final call for SAA flight A342 boarding at Gate E10. Repeat. This is the final call for SAA flight A342 boarding at Gate E10.
His question is answered and in the tiny moment of silence that ensues, there is the sound of a heartbreak.
"I have to go now," she says.
Stuck for words, he brings her in and kisses her. But the kiss is cold and strange. He knows it's because her heart is already on the plane. But he fights the thought and kisses her even harder.
She tries to enjoy what she knows will be their last kiss but instead asks herself whether her passport is safe, if she still has her boarding pass and wonders, even more strangely, who will be sitting in the seat next to hers.
They disengage and Bobby picks up her bags for her. They look at each other for a second and then walk hurriedly towards the security checks. They get there and Bobby fumbles her bags into the metal detector. She unloads her pockets into the tray and sends it though behind her bags. All her things are through now. All that's left is for her to walk through the metal detector and once she's through, she's not coming back.
She turns to face Bobby and thinks of the right words to say. The right words to sum up their time together. Twenty years old and she's lost for words. She wants to say she loves him and wishes she didn't have to leave. She wants to tell him to come with her, though she knows he can't. She looks for anything to say to break the tension and comes up with:
"I'll call you when I get there."
Bobby feels tears welling but fights them. He fights the tearing in his heart, he fights the anger in his fists, he fights the confusion in his head in order to string together one sentence that matters. He hadn't planned on being this rushed and now he must find words of value that will make everything seem ok. He's Bobby. He always finds a way to make everything ok. He opens his mouth:
"Have a safe trip."
A lingering moment and she turns to walk away. She takes her bags from security and starts running, hoping to catch the gate before it closes. He stands and watches her run.
That's it. The two will call each other for two months but that'll stop. They'll write e-mails to each other but the distance between each response will grow until only birthdays and Christmases can motivate them to continue. She'll grow older and so will he and later in life, they'll think of each other, hating themselves for growing distant. But who can blame them? It's the way of all things to break and fall apart.
Attention. Final call for SAA flight A342 to the end of the world now boarding at Gate E10. Repeat. Final call for SAA flight A342 to the end of the world now boarding at Gate E10.
Emily sits on the bench, luggage at her feet, holding the boarding pass and watching it tremble ever so slightly in her hand. She's waiting. She knows she has to get up, pick up her bags, run over to the boarding gates, go through security, make sure she hasn't forgotten her passport, double-check her boarding pass, get through the gates, onto the bus, shuttle over to the plane and get on. But she does none of this. Not yet anyway. She's waiting.
Her concentration is broken by a shriek. A shriek and a laugh. She looks up in time to catch a man encumbered with luggage receiving a shrill embrace from a woman who almost knocks him over in her excitement.
"You're back early!" she says.
"Thought I'd surprise you," he replies.
The man drops all his bags, opening himself up to receive her and only her. They kiss and in an instant become one single reunited entity, moving and breathing and touching in one synchronized motion. He breathes in and she breathes out and they are both finally satisfied. They stand for a moment observing their spots and freckles perfectly aligned. A mirror image.
"I missed you." she says.
"I'm back now," he replies.
Attention. This is the final call for SAA flight A342 boarding at Gate E10. Repeat. This is the final call for SAA flight A342 boarding at Gate E10.
"Emily!"
Emily's back arches. She recognizes that voice. It's what she's been waiting for but she doesn't dare turn her head for fear that it was only her mind, maliciously toying with her tense emotion. She listens. Footsteps pound the terminal floor, each one drawing nearer to her.
"Emily!"
Convinced this time, she turns to see Bobby huffing and heaving his way towards her. The muscles in her body relax. She doesn't have to wait anymore. Bobby's here and that makes everything alright. Usually.
"Emily I'm so so sorry! There was a massive accident on the highway and traffic was blocked for miles back. I left work early, like I said and I thought I'd have enough time but..."
"Shhhh. It's ok now," she says, placing her trembling forefinger on his trembling lips.
"Emily I'm sorry. How much time do you have?"
Attention. This is the final call for SAA flight A342 boarding at Gate E10. Repeat. This is the final call for SAA flight A342 boarding at Gate E10.
His question is answered and in the tiny moment of silence that ensues, there is the sound of a heartbreak.
"I have to go now," she says.
Stuck for words, he brings her in and kisses her. But the kiss is cold and strange. He knows it's because her heart is already on the plane. But he fights the thought and kisses her even harder.
She tries to enjoy what she knows will be their last kiss but instead asks herself whether her passport is safe, if she still has her boarding pass and wonders, even more strangely, who will be sitting in the seat next to hers.
They disengage and Bobby picks up her bags for her. They look at each other for a second and then walk hurriedly towards the security checks. They get there and Bobby fumbles her bags into the metal detector. She unloads her pockets into the tray and sends it though behind her bags. All her things are through now. All that's left is for her to walk through the metal detector and once she's through, she's not coming back.
She turns to face Bobby and thinks of the right words to say. The right words to sum up their time together. Twenty years old and she's lost for words. She wants to say she loves him and wishes she didn't have to leave. She wants to tell him to come with her, though she knows he can't. She looks for anything to say to break the tension and comes up with:
"I'll call you when I get there."
Bobby feels tears welling but fights them. He fights the tearing in his heart, he fights the anger in his fists, he fights the confusion in his head in order to string together one sentence that matters. He hadn't planned on being this rushed and now he must find words of value that will make everything seem ok. He's Bobby. He always finds a way to make everything ok. He opens his mouth:
"Have a safe trip."
A lingering moment and she turns to walk away. She takes her bags from security and starts running, hoping to catch the gate before it closes. He stands and watches her run.
That's it. The two will call each other for two months but that'll stop. They'll write e-mails to each other but the distance between each response will grow until only birthdays and Christmases can motivate them to continue. She'll grow older and so will he and later in life, they'll think of each other, hating themselves for growing distant. But who can blame them? It's the way of all things to break and fall apart.
posted by Stuck in 1984 at
12:29 am
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