The day had come. My heart begins racing the moment my car pulls into the airport parking lot. The smell of jet fuel, automobile exhaust, and hot tarmac combine to assault the sense with images of exotic escapes and the kind of freedom that can only come from airports, well I hoped. I feel the thrum of the engines at take-off and the vibration of the plane during the flight in my my skin.
When I entered through the sliding doors, I noticed that the airport was filled with shut windows, blocking the sun rays from entering through the hallways of the long dark paths of the airport, as though blocking me from the outside world. It got me questioning,
“Will I belong in the country Australia?”
I waited for my gate number to be called. Waited, waited, and waited. The halls became empty as people rushed to fly out to their own countries. I was left alone in the waiting hall, still waiting for my flight to be called. I felt lost, cold, and cloudy as though a massive storm was building inside of me shutting my hopes and sense of self from coming through.
All my confidence started to fade away and my body started to crouch and roll into a ball as though I now was trying to hide myself from the opportunity to enter a new world. No one to turn to, no one to help me.
As I sat crouched in that ball, a young, small, boy came skipping down the long, dark paths of the airport and placed himself, with a large thump, in the seat next to me. I snapped up as fast as a rubber band snapping back in place. I looked at him with such curiosity.
You could see it, you could see on his face. But it was impossible to describe with words the great happiness I saw in this young boy, a ray of hope. He looked at me with his big, chocolate, brown eyes, and smiles with a huge, gleaming, smile, flashing his bright, white, bleached teeth as he placed his little, soft, dainty hand on mine. I felt a sudden rush of warmth place in my body and as a mirror a huge, gleaming, smile was placed on my face as well. He stood up and pulled my arm with great force that it had me bounce out of my seat.
Walking in a fast pace behind the young boy who was skipping down the path the voice on the public speaker called for my plane to be boarded
“Flight 896 departure for Australia is now boarding at gate 11”
“Hurry, are you coming?” the young boy shouted out to me
I handed over my ticket to the lady and was guided through the stampede of people to my seat. I placed my small, light bag underneath the seat in front of me, and as I retrieved my