LAX wasn't as bad as I thought it would be

so if you're standing in a line at five in the morning and if a ucla student turns to you to talk, the thing to do is talk back.

"excuse me," ms blue eyes said, "when is your flight?"
"seven"
"argh mine is in a hour, do you think I'll make it? I always do this to myself."

Hers was in a hour, mine in two. I held her place as she went down the block following the security check in line down beyond my sight looking for a faster way.

"yeah they really didn't care that I was going to miss my flight."
"Well they probably assumed that you knew to plan ahead and arrive early since it is Thanksgiving and all, maybe even showing up two hours early like I did.

She smiled at my teasing.

In the next 30 minutes we traded jabs about our hometowns, I taught her the power of positive thinking, she told me about forgetting to tip well during the holidays. In the final minutes of the screening line we shuffled through in our bare socks with a half hour to spare before her flight to a family wedding in Chicago.

After slipping her shoes back on, she turned to wait for me to catch up. I looked up with my boots in hand, laces to be tied. I was going to Boston; she wasn't.

"Looks like you'll be making that flight to Chicago after all."

After a long pause she thanked me for my help and that it was nice meeting me and to take care on my trip.

I wished her the same.

With a smile and two step slide she turned away and faded into the crowd terminal.

"It definitely was nice meeting you too" I repeated.