At the airport...

(Try reading the entire entry...)

As we were waiting to board our flight, we suddenly hear a wail. Not just any wail, but the type that pierces your bone, down to your soul. I was walking towards the men’s room and like falling dominoes I saw heads turning one by one toward a middle aged lady. She must’ve been in her 40’s or so. She had long curly brown hair. A little on the husky side, but dressed fairly athletic. My immediate thought was she’s a mother of 2-3 kids who needs to stay active to keep up. She was wailing into her cell phone, while running towards the terminal. “NO!!” “STOP!” at the top of her lungs.

Reminded me of my flight out of SJC last week when I was running to barely make my flight. “She must’ve missed her flight. And she’s calling her companion on her plane whose left without her.” Her wailing now turned into balling. She was about to collapse and I wanted to reach out to hold her hand, to let her know things will be okay.
I didn’t. I continued walking and bumped into my travel buddy. Stupid me… I had to make a ill-timed, tastless joke – as I’m opted to do in situations like this to try to ward off the awkwardness. My buddy said, “I overheard the lady at the counter, she thinks someone in her family just died.”

Oh my goooooooodness. Then it clicked. She was at the airport, trying to catch the first flight out Sunday morning, to race back to Philly to see her dying family member. Only thing is, life and death isn’t like public transit where they’ll wait for you if the driver sees you running from half a block away.

After using the facilities, I walk back to my terminal to board and I see several women gathered around her. A couple security members, a few passengers and strangers hovering over her; trying to comfort and support at this helpless time. I felt like a complete idiot for making that joke earlier. And as I boarded my flight, the TSA who scanned my ticket in calls for backup saying, “We have an emergency here.”

The flight was delayed for about 5 minutes to let the lady get her composure to board. FAA regulation probably states that doors need to be closed X minutes prior to a flight. But I guess even the FAA and United can make exceptions.

As I buckled into my seat and started to get comfortable with my neighbors, I see that lady walk by, being assisted by a couple of flight attendants. They had to make special arrangements for her so she can have a little row of seats to lie down. Other passengers were happy to oblige to relinquish their seats. Then all of a sudden, the lady next to me flags down a flight attendant. The flight attendnant apologetically says, “We apologize for the delay, but we’ve just experienced a death in the family.” Funny how she puts it… “WE just experienced…” How touching.

More touching were the words that came out from the lady. “Ma’am. We lost our 13 year old son a year ago and I speak fluent Spanish. If you need any help, please allow me to.”

ABSOLUTELTY FLOORED.