Blood rushed to my face as the large bag was weighed “five pounds over” a monotone voice said behind the counter. The expression on his face told me that there was no budging. In the eyes of the man I was just another person coming up to the counter. There was no reason to know or care why or where I was going other than it was his job. My bright face was mirrored by face of someone thinking that this was just another day in the office.
Didn’t I weigh this last night. . . I even bought that stupid scale. “The candy” said the lady that had been with me my whole life. . . she said she was my mom, but who knew if she was telling the truth.
Unceremoniously unzipping the suitcase revealed a clear plastic bag filled with nothing but junk food. Stuffing it into my already burdened backpack made the other person who came along, my sister laugh a little. The whole room got a couple degrees warmer as we tried again. “49.5 pounds alright you’re all checked in” The air that left my mouth formed a sigh as I was allowed to breathe again. I thought of my dad’s last parting gift and let out a small chuckle. Stupid old man . . . you should be here right now.
The small trio we had made our way to Tully’s coffee, Cristina’s face distorting as we made our way there. “Isn’t there a Starbucks in here” the way she complained was reminiscent of the old man. Where we were going didn’t matter as long as we spent one last meal together. At the small table we talked about random things sounding like any of the other conversations we had.
Like always I mostly observed and listened throwing in a cynical comment every now and then. The sound of their voices was like your favorite song always playing in the back of your mind. The image you hold in your mind of your family is painted with so many colors, it was a painting that you all made together, but is one that is also seen differently from all the artists. There is really nothing like the shared experiences over a lifetime. The ones that bring you to tears are the small slices of everyday life.
The sweet spice of the chai tea had become lukewarm as I finished the last drop, thirty minutes had gone by since we had sat down. Thirty minutes that felt more like seconds. . . I pondered the subjectivity of time and made my way towards the security gate. My inner cynic thought of how stupid security was at the airport. Being treated more like a livestock than a human being. Less than one percent of travelers would do something stupid, we masses had to suffer because of it. My thoughts must have spilled over into my speech because both my mom and my sister were making a sour expression.
Like a particular gummy candy the flavor turned from sour to sweet as we reached the point where we said our goodbyes and hugged. Snaking through the security system I looked back at every turn, I could see their smiling faces waving at every corner. At every turn I smiled and waved back, the faces searching for me got smaller and smaller until they were impossible to see past the mob of people.
Being an avid watcher of slice of life anime and watching numerous chick flicks with my sisters I was expecting more of a dramatic water works type of goodbye. Awkwardly juggling my headphones along with my other belongings I found myself alone again. It wasn’t a new feeling to be completely surrounded by people and feel like an island. Being the difficult person I was my friends although precious, were few and far between. But even to an experienced loner such as myself, traveling to a new country alone made me feel small again. Slipping on my well worn in headphones, music carried me like it had always done.
Life is like a song. . . the melody goes in different directions, sometimes it’s slow and soft, it can be loud and fast or anywhere in between. The notes sometimes harmonize beautifully , while other times they sound dissonant, but it’s all beautiful music at the end of the day. Just let the rhythm carry you away and dance with it- LaidbackMarco
Arriving at my gate early I had time to sit around and do as I pleased. As a millenial the world is yours as there are outlets and internet. Splitting my time between napping, texting, tweeting, reading, and talking to my camera. An announcement rang out over the p.a. system telling me that it was time to take the leap of faith. The moment of truth would come. Could I spread my wings and fly?
Find Out In The Next Blog Post Love You guys<3
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