Departures She Was Never Part of

“Mom, what do people do at the airport?” her little sister asked.

Photo by: retroshea | Pinterest

Isabelle became curious at the question. But instead of adding a follow-up question, she quietly observed the place around her.

Suddenly, the airport became meaningful in her eyes. Beyond the planes that carried people toward their destinations were countless goodbyes and reunions waiting to unfold.

Isabelle noticed it more clearly now.

Every departure carried a story she somehow understood, even if she was never a part of it.

A father tightly holding his daughter. A woman glancing back from the departure area as if she is waiting for someone to stop her. A group laughing loudly as they exchanged goodbyes, trying to lighten the heaviness in the air.

“Mom, why are they crying?” Her little sister asked again. “They’re only going somewhere right?”

She was right, but it was never just about going somewhere, it was about leaving someone behind without the certainty of ever returning the same way again.

Their mom could’ve said that, but instead, she simply replied, “They’re crying because they are saying goodbye to each other”.

Her little sister returned to her chair, still confused as she swung her feet back and forth, while Isabelle continued to observe the strangely meaningful place to her.

And then she realized something.

She had never been part of these goodbyes. She is only a stranger witnessing fragments of another stranger’s life without ever knowing the full story.