These days, goodbyes are all curbside,
no longer gate-side.
The days of mom being greeted by two little girls running the length of the concourse shouting hellos all the way are days way in the past.
Today,
Must not draw attention.
Must be purposeful, not frivolous.
Must not draw attention.
May greet briefly, then move quickly for baggage claim and ground transportation.
Really puts a damper on greetings
and goodbyes
like the one I wanted to give you
today.
So that’s why I called as I drove away,
and again a few minutes later,
and then again when I arrived home.
And you, still at the gate...
weather where you were landing
kept you from leaving as planned.
Throughout the afternoon,
I returned to the aero-site
to check the status of the flight,
I saw Delayed become Departed,
a little plane picture crawled up the coast, and
when Departed became Arrived you called from baggage claim,
and then you called from the dining room table.