Somehow her life had gone from forward motion to suspended animation. Or endless, tiresome circles. Around and around and around. She waited for an exit, a new road that would take her to the places she once dreamed of. Now, the loudspeaker says, the plane is three minutes away.
Conversation picks up again as anticipation bubbles back to the surface.
Women brush their hair and put on lipstick. Faces crack into hopeful smiles and children shriek with hysterical relief. Now the plane is on the runway. People walk here and there and peer out the window and look at each others' faces for the last time. A cheer rises from the crowd, then a laugh of pleasure and relief.