Maybe Another Time Conclusion

_____Thankfully, mid-November turned out to be a not so busy time for air travel. Getting into the airport was a bit of a hassle, having to wait for the cars ahead of him to stop at the parking booth to get their ticket. A lot of them turned out to only be dropping off instead of picking up. Darren watched them stop along the terminal entrances, letting passengers out to make their late flights. Some goodbyes were more sentimental than others, with the driver getting out as well.

_____Darren was grateful to find a parking spot close to the terminal. He knew he’d have to carry some of his sister’s baggage back to the car, and he wanted as little responsibility as possible. She didn’t want his help while she was at school, so she shouldn’t need it now. He looked at the clock on his car stereo and was surprised to see it was already 9:58.

_____“Crap. With my luck she’s probably already off the plane and waiting for me. She better not have called Mom.” Darren turned off his car and got out, locking the door as he did. He avoided puddles on his way to the terminal entrance, but stepped in what was likely the last and deepest one. He swore as his shoe and pants leg dripped, and left a single, wet foot print on the white tile floor of the terminal as he walked. He went to the directory, listening to the ‘squeak-step, squeak-step’ of his feet as he went.

_____It wasn’t that big of an airport, so the baggage claim where Caitlin would be was fairly close by. He got himself pointed in the right direction and briskly walked to the baggage claim, the ‘squeak-step, squeak-step’ slowly fading away as the bottom of his shoe dried. He was not happy, to say the least. He wanted out of that airport, done with the traffic and back home in his bed where he could pretend his sister was somewhere else.

_____He rounded the corner and saw the baggage claim, and the people huddled around it occasionally stepping forward to grab their luggage. A portly older gentleman leaned forward and grabbed a carry on that seemed much too small to handle everything he would need for a trip. The man walked away from the crowd, peeking into his bag as if to make sure nothing was missing. When Darren looked back at the waiting crowd, he saw Caitlin. He was about to call something rude out to her when somebody stepped up and bumped her out of place. She didn’t fall, but she didn’t step back to where she had been.

_____Darren watched his sister just stand there, dejected. She wore a simple jacket, t-shirt and jeans, that all hung limply on her. Her hair wasn’t even the usual raven colored sleek it had always been. Instead it was slightly tussled, with errant strands sticking out. But that was nothing compared to the look on her face. There was a miserable sadness that he’d only seen once before; when she was seven and her favorite toy bear had gone missing. Her lips were tight, holding back a desperate need to break down. From the corner of her eye to the bottom of her chin was a thin, faded grey trail where her tears streamed silently.

_____In that moment, Darren forgot everything about the mean things he was thinking and thought he wanted to say to his sister, who had only wanted to prove her worth and independence. He walked up to her and placed his hand gently on her shoulder.

_____“Hey, Caity.” He said as warmly as he possibly could.
_____She looked at him, the corner of her mouth lifting a tiny amount, and spoke a softly audible “Hi.” Darren felt genuinely surprised that she could manage that much. She was so unlike herself at that moment. Darren put his arm around his sister’s shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “Thanks for picking me up Darren.” She snuffed her nose, still trying to keep herself somewhat composed.
_____Darren snuffed his nose too, fighting the urge to cry. “Any time.”


The End