Leaving the plane, and the plane trip, behind me, I continued down the long, straight connecting tunnel which led to the gate.Leaving the plane, and the plane trip, behind me, I continued down the long, straight connecting tunnel which led to the gate. Ahead of me, I could see the brightness of the opening over the heads of the passengers in front. With every step it got bigger, and a few of the anxious bright faces of greeters - friends, family, and lovers (I couldn't help but grin) - became visible. With every step my excite- ment mounted, and a thousand questions crowded in my head at once. How would he look? How would he think I looked? How would we greet each other? Should I just jump him, or allow him to set the precedent? Would he be cool, or excited? Would he still love me? The low tunnel emptied out into the gate, and I spilled along with the rest of my crowd into the open. People were everywhere, pushing, exclaiming, some hugging joyfully, some crying tearfully, and some kissing passionately. I searched for one familiar face. The crowd began to thin as the clumps of reunions wandered off towards baggage claim. Finally, I was left by myself amongst a few stragglers, the disappointment like a lead weight on my chest. He wasn't there. He was stuck in traffic. He forgot the flight. He was in some horrible accident somewhere. He was picking up flowers at the last minute. He was...he was... Well, wherever he was, he wasn't here. I sighed deeply and slowly trudged to the baggage claim, my eyes still scanning the near-empty, late-night airport for him. Nothing. I gritted my teeth as I passed a couple, passionately intertwined, obliviously groping each other by a water fountain. Disgusting. There should be rules against that sort of thing. That should be ME! Then as I rounded them I caught a glimpse of the man's face and realized with a start that it was my former seat-mate from the plane. |