Two departures, One arrival

Late at the airport, in haste we arrived. Rumbling plastic wheels rushing in unity, from tarmac to marble to carpet; the shuffling queue dispersed, finally. Luggage swept away, adorned with labelling. Black and white tags mark a future, awakening. A marathon sprint to the gate, a race against time but a man dressed in opaque black approaches and with regret explains how just one seat remained, a voice I'd never forget. You spoke longingly of your mother's dearest day and I swayed, watched as your shadow boarded naive that I had just sealed our fates. Now I sit, staring blankly at your unopened case wondering if we could've opened a different timeline in a different space. If only we'd chosen to stay, chosen to wait. Regrets waft through the cy air, a melancholy echo of what could've been, remnants of a longing to a love unseen.