Tuesday, January 05, 2016


It’s fun to look at the destinations from the other gates at the airport, wondering what it’d be like to go there instead of where you’re going. Wondering if you could get on their plane instead, go AWOL from work, start a new life. Detroit, Santa Fe, Wichita, Boise. Places you’ve heard about but never been. At Heathrow the gate near us said Beirut. I tried to apply the same fantasy. Where would I stay the night after I landed? What would I eat? I examined the people in the departure lounge, sitting and waiting or milling around the counter with concerns about their seat assignments. Middle-aged, Middle Eastern men with mustaches and weary eyes. Just going home like anybody else.