Author: N.R.
It was a warm autumn day as I made my way through the bustling streets. Humming a slow tune, I saunter towards my next stop.
How long has it been since we last came here together, hand in hand? The laughter we once shared, echoes in my ear as I push the door open. The strong yet welcoming scent of ground coffee beans fills my nostrils. I find myself gravitating towards a well-lit display of carefully curated delights.
The owner greets me from his place behind the counter.
“It’s good to see you again! Did life get busy?” he asks.
“Yes. Things just have a way of building up in such a short time. Had to take some time off.” I offer as an answer.
As we continued to make small talk, I could not help but feel a twinge of sadness. It wasn’t long ago that we were here sharing desserts and sipping on drinks. Now here I am. Alone.
I make my order and head for an empty table. I watch as people trickle into the café, laughing amongst themselves. At a nearby table, friends are passionately talking about the places they plan to visit. As their chatter continues, my mind starts to drift, as it often does these days.
Floating through clouds, I find myself remembering our last few discussions. Unlike before, your eyes now held the look of someone who had given up. No longer were we sharing the same goal of reaching destinations we once gushed about.
Refusing to let the delays fill my heart with despair, I strapped myself in, determined to fight for both our dreams. I would have done anything to keep hope afloat. If your air mask malfunctioned, I would have given you mine without a thought. I wanted to be the one to bring you to safety.
We made it through several turbulences before our final plane made a sudden drop in altitude, forcing me to come to terms with my worst fear. The denial was spilling through the cracks of my foundation.
It took our last transit for me to understand that nothing could keep you from making the wrong turn. You kept adding luggage that could not be repacked and continuously refused assistance from help counters along the way.
I had lost sight of my own plans and itinerary. Standing at that terminal, I made up my mind.
It was time for me to put myself first and book a flight of my own. Like any other passenger, I deserved a trip where my choices were not restricted or forced to compromise.
It took several errors and frozen screens, but I made it to my new boarding gate.
There was no looking back. No last calls to make.
Suddenly, my ears feel a popping sensation as I hear my name being called. I stand up and make my way to the front. The owner, having wrapped everything nicely, gave me my to-go bag.
“Don’t wait too long to come back! Why don’t you bring that friend of yours with you next time!” a courteous smile on his face.
“I will! Have a nice day!” I replied. A few seconds later, I was on my way. I pondered over my plans for the afternoon.
With no surprise, I reorganized my thoughts back to a few minutes ago. Will there be a time when we visit the café together, like before? How soon could that be?
Probably not right away. It’s too late to take a return flight to your side. For now, there are no more connections to make, given that the borders are to remain on lockdown.
Perhaps it was for the best that we ended up at different terminals.
It leaves the possibility of finding a different way, back to each other. After all, we all started off as strangers.
Nothing is stopping us from creating a new and improved flight connection together. Till then…
– Ready for Take Off –