Stranded together

“He’s looking at me!” Holly threw her stuffed bunny at Jaden.

“She looked at me first!” Jaden batted the bear away.

“Sammy!” Holly scrambled to pick up her bunny. Ted swooped in and grabbed her by the back of her sunflower print overalls, plopping her back in the hard chair common to all airports.

“Look, you two. We are going to be here a while, okay? Can’t we just get along?” he asked his two kids. He didn’t know how Amy did it. She balanced her design career, the house, the kids, the bookkeeping for his construction business – and he could not control a four-year-old and a seven-year-old in an airport for six hours. Spring break was basically ruined. They were stuck. No flights were going out because of the snow.

“She’s just a crybaby,” Jaden said, kicking his carry-on bag.

“You smell!” Holly shot back.

“Stop, now! Both of you!” Ted lowered his voice. People were looking at him. He knew they were judging him, already finding him a failure as a dad. And maybe he was. He hung his head.

“Child, you’re doing better than you think.”

Ted looked up to see an older lady standing in front of him, her wildly printed, flowing dress a stark contrast to her ebony skin. The woman smiled as he looked up.

“I don’t feel that way,” he said, not caring if he was talking to a stranger. He was aware both kids were quiet, for the first time in hours. The old woman’s gnarled hand floated out from under the furls of her shawl and touched his shoulder. Her fingers were ice.

“Child, I have watched you. I have watched the young ones.” A wide, white smile grew across the woman’s face.

“I am not alone with them much,” Ted offered, not knowing what else to say. “I guess it shows.”

“But they are enjoying their time with you,” the woman offered, “and it is precious time.”

Ted lowered his head into his hands. He was failing. He knew that. He was failing his kids. He was failing Amy, who said he would be fine and she would follow him to Tampa for spring break in a day or two.

“Papa?” Holly’s voice was smaller than the hand he felt on his hand now. “Papa, come out.”

Ted lifted his head from his hands to find the old woman gone, and two cherubic faces smiling up at him, Holly with streaks of tears still visible on his plump cheeks.

“I love you two, so much.” Ted grabbed them both and hugged them tight. “I know sitting in this airport all day sucks. I know it does. I’m sorry.”
“It doesn’t suck, Papa!” Jaden winced instantly, knowing that was not a word he should use. Ted could not help but laugh.

“You two have been more patient than I have, and I’m sorry. I expected too much from you.” He ruffled the blonde locks on Jaden’s head.
“But we love you, Papa. No be sad,” Holly added. “We play.” She sat down next to her carry-on bag and pulled out a board game Ted had never seen before. He had no idea she had it in her bag.

“This one is really good!” Jaden grabbed Ted’s hand, pulling him to the floor next to the game. “Come on, Papa.”

“Okay, Okay,” Ted laughed. Amy thought of everything, even when she could not be with them. He realized the old woman was gone. He looked around the crowded airport. No one there looked remotely like the woman who has stood in front of him. He turned to look behind him. Nothing.

“You’re turn, Papa!” Jaden was handing him a set of dice. “Come on, Papa.”

“Okay, okay,” he smiled. “Let’s play.” As the game went on, other kids came to watch. Unsure of the rules, Ted was eliminated quickly.
“You guys wanna play?” Jaden asked of several other kids who had obviously been stuck in the airport for too long. Several of them sat down.

“You can be my partner,” Holly said, putting her arm around a smaller girl and moving over to give the other girl some floor space.
Quickly the air was filled with laughs and screeches as ten kids hovered around the board game. It might just be one of the best spring breaks Ted had in years.

“Here ya go. Looks like you could use it.” The father of one of the young boys now playing handed Ted a coffee and sat down next to him. “Funny how they can find fun in the worst situation, ain’t it?”

“Maybe we should learn from them,” Ted said, thanking the man for the coffee.

Word count: 784