Saying goodbye to my parents was like stretching blood vessels out of my heart. I could feel the snap, pull and breakage of the life lines, of saying goodbye to the two people who have sustained and supported me for the past 21 years.
I left with an emotion as raw as a punctured vein, all the while knowing I was doing the right thing. But was I ready? No, not at all. But I will see them in three months.
Here I am, waiting; listening to the pitter-patter of carry-on luggage wheels as they carry tiny capsules of people’s lives into the bellies of aircraft that will carry them to all corners of the earth.
I saw a girl at the top of the escalators, just before the boarding gate with a face crinkled into a hundred tiny wrinkles. Tears flooded her face and soaked into the plush ears of a giant stuffed bear she clutched with a grip of death. In her left hand she pinched a checkered handkerchief used intermittently with the bear to wipe away snot and tears. I felt a throb in the middle of my chest that told me I was that exact little girl, just ten years older. I was that same little girl inside, standing at the top of the escalator wiping away sad, hot tears.
1 comment:
Your writing is amazing! You had me right there at the airport with you. You know I'm a sap...I'm sitting here wiping away the tears. Live life in the grandest fashion sweetie - these moments may never come again.
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