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A man in a business suit and large briefcase pushed past her, jerking her shoulder on his way. A sudden but brief pain pierced her haze, but Radhika ignored it. Her eyes continued scanning the faces of the people milling around. She moved to one side slowly, trying to avoid running into more rude people while at the same time being able to look for the one face that would signal the end of her misery.

The airport was crowded.

It always was on days like that one.

The loudspeaker would crackle ever so often, announcements echoing through the long corridors. People beginning journeys and ending them, memories etched on their faces even while exhaustion drooped their shoulders.

All around her, families waited with baited breath. Some held colorful posters, others flowers and some like her just stood very very still. Almost as if any small movement would break them.

Radhika waited patiently with others like her.

She considered herself a very patient person even though at present her tank was running almost empty.

She’d been patient with Gaurav.

She waited three years for him to finally confess to his crush on her. Waited six months more for him to ask her out on an official date. Waited five years for him to propose. And now, she’d waited two years……

Another loud announcement interrupted her thoughts.

“The Air India flight from Delhi Airport just landed,” said a woman standing next to her. Radhika looked at the woman, her face mirroring the anxiety that Radhika was feeling. “They’re here!” she declared, hope shining in her eyes.

Radhika felt her heartbeat escalate, a heavy nervousness settling into the pit of her stomach. Her breathing became shallow as her eyes began scanning the faces of people walking out of the terminal.
 

Everyone in the waiting area got to their feet, many of them standing on their toes to catch a glimpse of their loved ones.

Radhika suddenly regretted her decision of standing off the side, as a group of very tall people blocked her view of the exiting passengers. She couldn’t blame them; almost everybody around her was in the same situation as hers.

Expecting a familiar face or the worst news of their life!

“Brother?” the woman next to her asked, never taking her eyes off the people exiting the terminal.

“Husband,” Radhika whispered her voice barely audible. “You?”

The woman looked at her briefly, “Husband,” she nodded. Radhika gave her a small smile, before they stood on their toes, trying to see around the chaos in front of them.

Slowly, the group of men in army fatigues came into view. Tall men, gruff and grimy, with their backpacks slung over one shoulder strode hurriedly towards waiting families. Some were somber but most were smiling, the joy of being home visible on their faces even from a mile away.

Sobs broke out around her, as mothers saw their sons and children their fathers.

Radhika’s eyes stayed glued to the terminal.

The crowd thinned, as families left, their loved ones tucked safely in the warmth of their embrace. Radhika clasped her hands together to stop their trembling, her throat suddenly dry.

“Mrs. Sharma,” asked a man, approaching the woman next to her.

Her friend from before nodded mutely, all energy leaking right out of her. “He’s not coming is he?” she asked, the grief in her voice shredding Radhika’s heart.

The man shook his head, taking her hand for a moment.

The woman suddenly turned, rushing towards the women’s bathroom, no doubt to empty her stomach.

“I don’t even know her name,” Radhika whispered to herself.

And suddenly she couldn’t wait here any longer. Her patience had finally dried up. The men in fatigues had almost thinned out, the last of the soldiers already standing with their families. If he wasn’t here already, he wasn’t going to be here.

Ever.

She turned, her back facing the laughing families and the still departing people on that flight from Delhi.

She took a small step forward. She had to go wait in the car. She’d probably be getting a call any time now. She couldn’t stand here, couldn’t bear to witness the happiness around her as her world crumbled.

Panic gripped her in strong claws. She had to get away.

As she took another step, a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind. They tightened, and a bearded chin nudged the hair away from her left shoulder. Soft lips kissed the indentation where her neck met her shoulders. 

A gruff voice, “Hello Stranger.”

Radhika stiffened.

Then burst into loud, relieved sobs. She turned quickly, burying her face against the chest that contained the beating heart that was her lifeline. “Gaurav!”