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. Suddenly Alyce is tired of waiting. As the first passengers walk out the gate, Alyce picks up her purse, slips through the throng and out of the terminal. All Rights Reserved.