What called my attention in the station
I am waiting for my bla bla car driver in the train station here in León. The cafetería provides some comfortable seating and I’ve seated myself at the high tops. I feel they attract the solo traveler. The other people seated at the high tops seem to be alone too. I am seated facing towards the departure lane where the travelers file to pass through security. There’s a steady stream of travelers. Christmas is nearing. I open my laptop in attempt to get some work done.
Anna and Lucy, friends of mine here through Erasmus, spotted me and wished me a merry christmas. They asked of my plans, Lucy asked if I was traveling alone. I didn’t want to confess that I was for some reason. To some people it’s inconceivable.
Every once in a while I’ll look up from my laptop to observe the bustling commotion of travelers. I notice that a family of three enters the station where the entrance door are to my right. A Mom and her children make their way to the security check point. Now they’re standing in front of me.
It was clear the Mom and daughter were sending off their son. They hugged him individually and then embraced each other all at the same time. He nodded his head, perhaps confirming details of the upcoming trip his mother was informing him of. His sister gave him another tender hug. The Mom kissed him on the forehead. This seemed like a significant departure. Perhaps he wouldn’t be with them for Christmas.
The son made his way through security. The security check point bends to the right, a glass wall separates it from the rest of the station. His Mother and sister stayed pressed to that wall, moving in concordance with his pace through the line. At times he would look at them and they would wave. After he retied his shoes, he looked at them and smiled.
At last when it came time for to take the escalator down to the platform he blew them a kiss. They could see him descending on the escalator for only a few moments before he vanished from view. They waited to watch him for as long as they could.
That is love in action. Love is knowing that the last glimpses of someone you care about, who you’ll not see for a while, mean everything to you. And the mother and daughter left the station with heavy hearts. I too felt sad. I thought of the last time I saw my family from the departure line in Logan so long ago.
