One time I was in this airport. Although the location is unimportant, it was somewhere in the states. I was on one of those moving walkways headed towards the departure gate. The airport was busy, the gift shops were filled and cafe's and restaurants seemed to be making a good turn over for the day. People came and went from various gates, some were sitting, some standing, reading, listening to music, talking with someone, talking to themselves, etc. I witnessed all this as the walkway took me very slowly towards my destination.

This is when I saw a whole line of public telephones.

There were many people making calls, but one woman caught my eye. She was almost in a kneeling position on the ground. Her one hand was tightly gripping the receiver while the other was cupped over her mouth.

Her face was red and tears were falling down her face.

I cannot begin to guess what it was that she had heard on the phone. All I knew was that it was enough to make her knees buckle and make her cry in an airport. No one around her seemed to notice. Everyone went about their own business.

Sometimes we forget that everyone has a story. Everyone has a life that they have lead. Although someone might be a stranger to us, they are a best friend, a father, a mother, a cousin, a lover or even a godparent to someone else. We are all a part of this collective group called the human race and yet we only seem to be really concerned with our own lives and the lives of those who are closest to us. I guess thats natural. But (to use a japanese word) さみしい at the same time.


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