Mrs. Feliciana aged waiting at the airport for what seemed like an eternity. She was probably the first person waiting when the airport was first opened and did not even have a waiting room. She waited way before there were delayed flights. Planes used to arrive with the precision of Swiss watches. Eventually, time became capricious and that encouraged some changes like seats, TV sets, vending machines, and long conversations.
Mrs. Feliciana met every worker, from the cleaning crew to pilots and flight attendants. She saw the airport grow and expand in its good days, and also saw it decline and shrink in the bad ones.
The waiting room used to be vibrant, colorful, and noisy. Now, it was lifeless, gray, and quiet. When the first person asked her who she was waiting for, she said her parents. In time, she waited for a husband, then children, and now she says she is waiting for her grandchild.
There are no seats, TV, airconditioning, or even light now at the waiting room. Sometimes, there are actually no planes flying in or out of this airport. Mrs. Feliciana comes anyway, every day; force of habit, she says. You have to be persistent.
What’s the name of your grandchild? someone asked.
Esperanza, she said.
Thanks for your reading
This was my entry to @mariannewest and @latino.romano’s 5 Minute Freewrite: Friday Prompt: DELAYED FLIGHT. You can see the details here.
Make sure you visit the Freewrite House!!!
