Airport Stories

I flew out of Midway on Southwest to get to Denver.

I really don't mind airports; they provide a great deal of entertainment if you are in to eavesdropping and people watching.

So at Midway on my flight out there is a young woman who is speaking to another passenger (in the terminal) in a voice loud enough to be overheard from seats away. She has cancer and is undergoing treatment. She was relaying all the details. I have no idea if the listener wanted to hear the story, but how could you not? She has cancer. Anyone's heart would bleed.

Then she was sitting in the seat ahead of me on the plane and was telling her story to that seat mate. If I was an analyst I would surely be wondering what is creating her need to tell every person. Still, my heart went out to her.

Then at the Denver airport I'm sitting in passenger pick up area, waiting for Brad and a young man, who was sitting about twenty feet away comes up to me and asks me if this is the international area.

I obviously look like I belong here or know what I'm doing, but I have to disappoint.

Me: I have no idea. (Good start for being helpful, right?) This is where the locals pick you up.

Him: It's not international?

Me: Uh, I don't know. What are you looking for?

Him: A taxi

Me: Well, I don't think this is the right area. You'd better go back upstairs and ask someone. (This is reverting back to my helpful teacher mode.)

Him: OK, thank you.

And he leaves.

And I wait.

And then another man approaches me (what is it with me today????) and flips open a black bifold wallet and says,

"US Marshal" and sits down next to me.

Now he is dressed in street clothes and carrying bags. (Undercover?) And in these split seconds I am thinking, is this a real badge? Where's the photo ID and name? Because it was just a metal badge, similar to the kind little boys play with.

And my SECOND thought is, what the heck did I do????

Before I can really process any of this he asks what that young man said to me.

Even though I had no Bible to place my left hand on, I told the truth, the whole truth.

And he made a phone call, repeating my short, uninformative, I'd venture to think, story.

Thanked me and moved on.

Do you ever have those out of body experiences? I was wondering what in the heck just happened to me.

I wanted to call someone immediately, but then I thought what if people are watching and think I'm tipping off someone? (Yup, I've watched way too much tv)

So I just got up and walked to the sidewalk area to wait for Brad.

Believe me, I couldn't wait to see him and leave the airport experience.