Arrivals and departures

Over the last nine years, Scott and I have had to say goodbye many, many times. All of our goodbyes took place in a crowded airport terminal. All of our hellos took place in a crowded airport arrivals hall.

We always said we couldn’t wait until the day when we were done with goodbyes and when our hellos would be exchanged in cars, restaurants, our home – anywhere but the airport.

It seems like I spend the same amount of time now saying goodbye to family and friends. And that is always hard.

But it’s especially hard seeing your parents say goodbye to each other and that’s something I didn’t think I would see very often. Last night we took my dad to Heathrow to catch his flight back to the Middle East where he would be for another nine months.

I was reminded of all the times my mom drove me and Scott to the airport years ago so that I didn’t have to worry about driving home afterwards. She knew how sad I would be. She would tell me to take all the time I needed and she would circle the airport or park on the side of the road and just wait.

Scott and I would stand outside the security checks and I would cry and he would tell me the time would pass quickly. And as he went through the gates, I would wait for him to turn around one last time and wave before disappearing into the crowd. And probably like everyone else who has ever said goodbye, I wished he would turn around and walk right back to me. But that only happens in the movies.

When I didn’t live at home anymore and I had no choice but to drive myself, I would sit in my car until the tears stopped and sometimes it took a long time to feel like I could drive back home. I was always grateful to my mom for caring enough to let me cry it out.

Last night I said goodbye to my dad and let my mom walk with him to departures. I waited in a bookstore, flipping through magazines and browsing the books. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my parents hugging and my mom crying and I stood there just thinking how the roles had reversed.

I watched my dad walk through security and my mom waited to see him turn back. They waved. He blew a kiss and he was gone. And she waited a bit more.

Scott asked if we were ready to go and I told him to just wait. I knew exactly what she was waiting for. We could wait too.

My mom left this morning. It was a wonderful visit and I know my parents were probably more excited to see each other than me and that’s ok. It’s not often that England ends up being the most convenient place to meet up. I got lucky this time.

Plus It was my turn to drive home from the airport.

P.S. Thank you for the weather vibes. It was perfect.