Up in the Air

I accompanied Lainy to the Albany Airport to pick up a friend of hers from her time in grad school in Boston. I had the day off and had met this friend before so I was happy to go along. We hear that the plane has been delayed so we take our time.

We arrive with plenty of time to spare so we grab some coffees and check out the art gallery. Since I'm usually the one getting picked up, I've never had the time to browse this; I never even knew there was a gallery in Albany International. I liked the calmness of it all, however the fact there were nearby offices turned me off a bit. Who wants to think about work when they are perusing artwork?

We head back downstairs to wait for Lainy's friend to arrive.

I'm one of those types that really enjoy being in airports. Usually, this is associated with the fact that I will be traveling to some far off destination and I feel completely excited because of this, but I also like being there as a non-traveler. It fills me with the urge to travel, to jump on a plane heading anywhere and escape for a bit. But I'm content now. I don't want to escape.

Sitting in the waiting area, I see all the non-travelers excitedly waiting for some significant person to stroll through the gate. Respectively, the expressions of the travelers are intriguing as well . Their eyes dart back and forth looking for whoever is supposed to meet them. Their eyes light up and they smile as if they're the only ones in the room. In a sense they are for that moment; everyone else vanishes. Even the lone travelers who know that no one is there to meet them glance around for familiar faces, wanting for someone to be on the other side of that gate. I know I've been there.

Lainy's friend arrives and we excitedly greet her. After the first few moments it's back to normal as if time hasn't passed between the two friends. I like that; that time is irrelevant.