You Were There?

"Hello! Flight AC 204 to Boston has been delayed. We will update you in a few minutes."

Multiple eye rolls. Several sighs.

A young mother and child sat back down. A man leaning on his cane hobbled back toward the accessible seating area. An important looking man in a smart navy suit pulled out his phone and began dialing.

The airline staff busied themselves, eyes lowered into their terminal screens.

I stood against a wall watching the commotion, and took a sip of water.

"Thank you. We appreciate your patience. It has been more than a few minutes, and as you can see the skies are grey, the water choppy. We will keep you posted."

More eye rolls from the waiting passengers, standing and seated.

The young mother approached the airline staff. I overheard her explain that her daughter was hungry and tired. Could they provide a snack, or perhaps a voucher? Anything to help her child's mood.

"Passengers travelling on Flight AC 204, it has been over four hours. Our apologies, but the weather is beyond our control. We want to get you safely to your destination. Thank you again for your patience."

More sighs. More agitated phone calls and hurried texts.

"If you would like a snack, please go to the table beside Gate 2. We have refreshments available, and appreciate your patience. "

The young mother grabbed her child's hand and bolted towards the gate. The little girl began crying, then looked at her mother, and wailed even louder.

Her mother swept her child into her arms, soothing her, and smoothing her hair as she walked.

I followed the few steps to Gate 2, where a short line had already formed. On a grey makeshift plastic table sat juice boxes, a jug of water with paper cups, granola bars, and colourful packets of fruit gummies.

The little girl gobbled up gummies. Her mother looked more at ease as she poured herself a cup of coffee from the carafe.

I had hoped for something more substantial, but a granola bar and juice box would have fill me up. It was definitely more sugar than the doctor ordered, but I was hungry.

More stranded passengers arrived. The businessman in the navy suit looked out the window at the grey sky, where a sliver of yellow shot through, perhaps the sun. He considered the sparse offerings before deciding on a cup of coffee and a granola bar.

One by one, we became a little miserable, a bit more rejuvenated. The refreshments seemed juvenile at first, almost like snacks for a middle-school field trip. I know was grateful as the airport restaurants and confectionary stands had closed for the night. Something was better than nothing.

We all nodded at one another in silent agreement. Something was better than nothing.

The young mother smiled at me and then at her daughter who was now thoroughly sugared up after another packet of fruit gummies, and her third cran-apple juice box. Taking the girl's small hand, she led her daughter to a seat and tucked a jacket around her.

Outside the sky outside remained strangely bright, a summer storm refusing to surrender the day.

The older man with his cane looked to be hungry. The businessman and I approached him at the same time, each offering a different snack. I produced one of the granola bars, while the businessman held out the snack-sized pouch of fruit gummies.

The old man nodded, and accepted both.

"Thank you for your thoughtfulness. I was about to hobble over, but my knee is rather stiff these days. It takes a few tries before it warms up for me to walk, or take any steps."

We smiled, and asked whether he needed anything else. He shook his head.

"Passengers traveling on Flight AC 204, we are ready to begin boarding. Anyone requiring assistance, please come forward. Have your government issued identification and boarding passes ready."

This time, there were no eyes rolling. Smiles appeared all around.

During those endless hours, we waited together, complained and ate snacks most of us would never have chosen for ourselves. yet we had been grateful for every ounce of sustenance and kindness it had provided. Hunger, and a delayed flight had turned an inconvenienced crowd of strangers into something resembling a community of shared moments.

As I walked toward the boarding gate, I glanced back.

The seats were empty. The snack table bare. And not a single one of us had been left waiting alone.