A Short Scene From SFO
Saturday 02 May 2009 at 4:00 pm. Used tags: original, writing(Something I jotted down while waiting for a flight to Reno, with some later editing.)
A pale young woman with auburn hair, a low-cut white shirt, and a careless sweater the same shade of pink as imitation crab enters terminal 77A. She glances around confidently, as though daring her fellow travelers to observe just how low cut her top is, and sits down a couple of rows over from me.
Almost immediately, a look of concern overtakes her, and she walks quickly to a bank of televisions labeled “Departure” for reassurance. She is already scanning the blinking rows of numbers before she arrives, oblivious to the other people in the gray walkway.
Another young woman crosses her path coming from the opposite direction, dressed in trim business attire and trailing an attaché case. Her eyes flick sideways as they pass, and an instantaneous appraisal occurs. For one nearly-imperceptible moment, her countenance darkens, betraying all at once something of a sigh, and a shrug, and a gritting of teeth. The second woman hurries onward and disappears from sight. For those not paying attention, it is a non-event.
The first young woman returns to her seat and loses herself in a book.
two comments
Astute and well written. I love the imitation crab comparison.
Andrea (URL) - 07-05-’09 11:17Yeah, imitation crab is such a vivid image, particularly for a non-event.
Ryan (Email) (URL) - 07-05-’09 14:32