night flight

There is an unending stream of sunburned people walking through the Arrivals Lounge: maxi dresses, accent colours, gladiator sandals, little girls with hot pink suitcases and little boys with gruffalo suitcases. You might think that I would be blasé after so many trips to the airport but I still see the people who wait and watch for the people they are waiting for.

Here is a mother greeting her son with hugs and kisses and then finally turning to his girlfriend who is standing uncomfortably with her suitcase to shake her hand. This saddens me but then I see a young mother and her daughter wait patiently and finally greet a woman who is clearly the grandmother. The grandmother stops and gives her full attention to the little girl and I understand why she had waited so patiently, so late at night, with her little cuddly dog beside her. Here, right next to me, is a tall young man. He waits anxiously. Eventually, a beautiful girl walks through the doors and sees him immediately. They are right next to me and it is impossible not to overhear her say "I am so tired" and he replies "But you still look gorgeous".

And then none of this matters because here are MissM and the Sassy MissS with their rucksacks and flipflops, safely home after their great adventure. There are bags to unpack and stories to tell but those can wait for tomorrow. It is time to go home.