Florence was exhausted and running on autopilot at this point. She arrived at the gate and sat down in the first empty seat she could find and let out a big sigh of relief.
Suddenly a little boy walked up to the seat next to her and opened a leather shoulder bag placed in the seat beside her. Florence hadn't noticed it earlier. His eyes widened and a big grin came over his face as he pulled out a camera. Yes it was just like the one in the television commercial with Laurence Olivier.
A woman's arm came from out of nowhere and took the camera away from the boy.
“Dennis! What did I tell you about touching other people’s things!” Her face grew red as she looked up at Florence.
“I’m so sorry. He doesn’t usually act like this.” She then held out the camera and waited for Florence to take it.
Florence didn't know what to say. She was just as surprised as the boy.
"Oh it's not mine. I just sat down."
“Take my picture! Take my picture. Take my picture.” Dennis's frown flew up to a smile as he chanted the words, clapped his hands and jumped up and down.
Florence saw that the woman was struggling with her son. "I'll just take it and put it back in the bag for you."
“Thank you dear," said the mother as she handed the camera to Florence. She scowled at her son, pulled him by the arm and walked off.
Florence returned the camera to the bag and sat back down. She was desperate to relax and enjoy the moment a little more. Inside her butterscotch yellow overnight case was just the thing she needed, a Hershey's chocolate bar and a library copy of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. She carefully tore open the wrapper at one end and took small bites from the chocolate bar as she read about Jonathan and his extraordinary life as a seagull. She especially loved the part about his Breakthrough and how it changed his life forever.
Maybe one day I'll have my own Breakthrough, she thought to herself.
[Two hours later]
Florence slowly awoke to a low mechanical whirring sound coming from the bag. In her semi-lucid state she thought the bag would start shaking and fall from the chair.
Wait a minute! What are you doing? Her thought brought the days events back to her. She checked her watch.
"Oh heavens! I've been sleeping here for two hours!"
No one said anything. The airport, with all of its energy, didn't point a finger or make a move. It didn't care if she was asleep or awake. It was simply a point in space and time, an arrival and departure, a runway like Jonathan's beach.
She threw away the Hershey's wrapper and put the book back in her butterscotch yellow overnight case. Just as she was about to leave, another sound came from the bag. It sounded like retractable blinds closing very fast.
Why hasn't anyone come for this bag?
She decided to take a peek inside. The camera was still there, and now a photograph was hanging from it's mouth. Florence looked at it and was shocked by what she saw.