Surprise

I scan the lobby in front of Gate 3 for an empty seat. There is one available sandwiched between a small child and an older businessman. Pulling out my headphones, I sit down and get ready to tune out the world.

I feel a tap on my shoulder.

“Excuse me,” the man says. “My phone died. Could I use yours?”. He looks about 40, charming when he smiles, but likely intimidating when he doesn’t. I look down at my phone, and sigh, knowing that I’d have to leave my bubble in order to be a decent human being.

“Sure thing, I just have a flight to board in 10 minutes.” I handed him my phone.

I see him out of the corner of my eye, stand up and walk towards the men’s bathroom. I hear the trail end of his conversation. “…You’re seriously busting my balls here.”

Having nothing to do, I look around and scan the airport. To my right, the little boy is making explosion noises while careening his small plastic dinosaur toys towards each other. My eyes drift away from him and towards a couple holding a copy of Lonely Planet, who look to be deep in discussion about whether they should go diving with sharks first or learning to surf.

I look towards the men’s bathroom, waiting for the businessman to come back. Is it possible he stole my phone? I look over to my left and notice that he left his briefcase, so I immediately feel better. Out of the corner of my eye, I see commotion coming from the men’s bathroom. I spot the businessman amongst the commotion, making a run for it.

“Wait! Stop he stole my phone!” I yelled. I try to stand up, but two tall uniform bodies suddenly appear in front of me.

“M’am, we’re going to have to detain you for questioning. We’re afraid that briefcase you’re watching over may contain explosives.”

Suspense

He has been waiting for an hour now. It seems this girl he’s waiting for isn’t one for timeliness. Her flight should be leaving soon, and she still isn’t here yet. Just as he is about to call his boss, he spots her and makes eye contact and smiles. He checks his phone nervously.

She scans the lobby in front of Gate 3 for an empty seat. There is one available sandwiched between a small child and an older businessman. Pulling out her headphones, she sits down and gets ready to tune out the world.

“Excuse me,” the man says. “My phone died. Could I use yours?”. He’s about 40, charming when he smiles, but likely intimidating when he doesn’t. She hands him her phone and he walks towards the bathroom.

He phones his boss. “I have the girl and the briefcase is ready. You’re seriously busting my balls here.” He hangs up and goes to the bathroom to lose her. He looks back to make sure the briefcase is there next to her still. He walks into the bathroom.

Having nothing to do now, she watches the boy next to her play with his toy dinosaurs. Her gaze drifts towards a couple holding a copy of Lonely Planet, who look to be deep in discussion about whether they should go diving with sharks first or learning to surf. She turns her gaze to the bathroom entrance, waiting for him to come back with her phone.

Inside the bathroom, he gets a call. “Run now. Quickly. They know the briefcase is rigged.” He drops the phone and takes off in a run.

“Wait! Stop! he stole my phone!” She yells as he sprints past a line of people waiting to board. She tries to stand up, but two tall uniform bodies suddenly appear in front of her.

“M’am, we’re going to have to detain you for questioning. We’re afraid that briefcase you’re watching over may contain explosives.”