I’m standing at the arrivals gate, waiting. Waiting for a friend. A friend I have known for as long as I can remember but haven’t seen for months and can’t wait to see. This isn’t the first friend I’ve waited for or the first time I have been standing on the dull grey tiles of the arrivals lounge staring at the frosted glass of the electric doors trying to make out whether the blurred shadow of a figure on the other side could be the person I am waiting for.

In the meantime I observe all the other people who, like me, are itching to receive their gift freshly delivered from somewhere in the world. I wonder if they all have the same thoughts I have when I pick up someone from the airport: Will I recognize them? Will they have changed? What will they be wearing and what haircut will they have this time? Will they recognize me? So much time has passed, will I feel differently when I see them this time? What if they come out whilst I am looking elsewhere and I miss them?

The doors open and people to start to come out, wide eyed and anxious they stand still and scan the crowd looking for a face they recognize. I try to make out the writing on their baggage, is it the same flight? How exciting! Butterflies in my tummy, the eagerness, the impatience, it won’t be long now, she could be next.

I watch my fellow-waiters as they greet their loved ones.

I see couples reunited; who knows how long they have been apart. A weekend? Weeks? Months? They embrace each other, eyes closed, and whisper into each other’s ears. They link arms smiling and kissing, oblivious to the crowd’s gaze and leave in their own heart-shaped bubble.

My heart goes out to the world-weary business people, in uniform dark suits, who pull along their trolleys and computers, looking for the jaded taxi-driver who has their name scribbled on a piece of scrap card. They greet each other with a nod of the head, knowing it will be useless trying to speak each other’s language and instead wander towards the exit, each wishing they were somewhere else.

I see grandparents crouch to the floor to meet their grandchildren’s eyes, hold their arms opens to squeeze them tight and sweep them up to kiss into their necks exclaiming how much they have grown. I see the grandchildren surprised by such a welcome from a person they haven’t yet recognized and whose language is to them unfamiliar, but are delighted by the attention and cuddles to which they giggle and wriggle. I think how lucky they are to be meeting their families and try to swallow down the lump in my throat.

And then my own heart flips! There she is! I recognize her straight away, no doubt whatsoever! Her hair is different and her clothes are new, but her face is exactly the same as it always was! And as she runs towards me, I know she has recognized me too! I hug her tightly and feel the warmth of friendship and affection. I recognize her smell and it reminds me of the places we have been together and the things we have done! I hold her face and look into her eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of what has taken place there since I last saw her. Is she well? Is there something she is hiding from me or needs to tell me? Her beaming smile mirrors mine and we start to laugh, jump, hop, clap! Such fun!

The months since we last met vanish immediately and it feels like we were never apart. We walk towards the exit but hardly look ahead, only towards each other laughing, sharing the knowledge that we are friends, that we have a past and are about to embark on a future. We won’t mention the duration of her stay or think about the scene we will face in three days time in the departure lounge, instead we walk out into the sun in our own moltohappy bubble.

dw