the airport lady

This is an idea I’ve had for about 20 years, and so far I’ve drafted out the lives of who she might be, and started on some of their stories. This part is true, and I have her picture to go along with it. :)

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We were sitting in the airport waiting for our flight when I saw her. On the top of her gray-curled short hair sat a velvety beige-colored safari hat. To compliment the outfit a jungle print scarf circled the brim and knotted in the back hanging a few inches below to whisper across her shoulders. She wore a white, wing-tipped blouse under her khaki-colored vest that had wide, bold pockets. The pocket flaps resting on her khaki-colored pants looked like they had been ironed down just that morning.

Gold wire-rimmed glasses emphasized the blue veins in her downcast eyelids. She was reading a newspaper as she waited for the boarding to start. A large blue book-bag purse sporting an “OPB” emblem for Oregon Public Broadcasting sat at her feet beside a green carry-on suitcase covered in travel-destination stickers. The blue bag and green suitcase seemed eager to accompany the safari adventurer.

Two thin chin rolls smiled between her jawline and the top of her wing-tip framed collar bones. As she moved her head slightly from side to side reading the paper they laughed and giggled like two little girls cracking up at their own silly jokes.

I wondered what color her eyes were, and what adventures might twinkle behind the blue-vein lids. Did her eyes twinkle? The laugh lines in her smooth, soft complexion seemed to hint at it. What was her name? Did she have kids? Grandkids? What was she like when she was younger?

What’s her story?

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So, who is she really? Someday you’ll meet Liza-teenager, Bella-20’s, Laura-30’s, Sharena-40’s, Corrien-50’s, and Kristine-60’s-the approximate age of the lady in my picture. Each character a possible person who could have been The Airport Lady.