TEARFUL TAKEOFFS, HAPPY LANDINGS

Recently I found myself at the airport where I was dropping off my husband for his flight.

What an interesting place. As a child, we often watched the planes take off and land. These days it is a hive of activity and you only see the big iron birds in the sky.

When my husband got lost in the crowd and concentrated on where he needed to be, I weaved my way through the many strange people. The “drop-andgo” facility was a quick and cheaper choice, but how can you say goodbye like that? So my greeting has a price.

As the next flight landed I realised that this is a building of varied emotion. I was just part of the crowd saying goodbye with tears on their cheeks, but then I also saw how much joy there was in welcoming family and loved ones back again.

For some it might be a greeting after months. Or maybe longer. The emotion is palpable and it’s precious to see how people’s hearts overflow with joy. There is so much that money cannot buy. LYNETTE STRYDOM, GQEBERHA

S I’m an absolute sucker for airports. When I have to fetch a loved one my husband always advises me to arrive at the last minute so there’ll be no waiting around.

But waiting around is the whole point. Watching pasty-faced foreigners emerge blinking into the dazzling Cape Town light, seeking a driver holding up a name badge or a beloved family gathered en masse to greet them.

Seeing the joy of a tired grandmother scooping up a young grandchild, perhaps for the first time. Young lovers shyly reunited. No-nonsense business types striding with purpose to who knows where. Moms and dads greeting a son who has been away on a gap year. All of human life is here and I find myself choking back sobs.

And then at last that familiar face seeking yours in crowd. The hug, the “how-was-your-flight” and the journey home. I really don’t mind waiting. I’ve got all day.

FLIGHTS OF FANCY, EMAIL