I am lonely. On days it hurts the most, I go to T.F. Green Airport and
spend hours at Arrivals, watching loved ones reunite. Sometimes I
even bring balloons and make clever welcome signs, as if I’m waiting
for someone I know. Seeing a stranger embrace another stranger, or a
child leap into a parent’s arms, makes me feel less alone. Even
watching a passenger pull a suitcase off the baggage carousel brings
me comfort. When I’m not at work or the airport, I spend my time on
the internet. I solve unsolved crimes. Recently, I met a woman named
Jennifer in an online forum dedicated to the Maura Murray case.
She’s lonely too. We both believe Maura staged her disappearance
and is living in Montreal as a bank teller. Neither of us have ever been
in love or to New Hampshire. She’s been trying to arrange for us to
meet in person. She lives in Scotland. I live in Rhode Island. I’m
excited to meet her, but neither of us has ever been on an airplane.
I’ve never even been to Departures because I’ve never had anyone to
say goodbye to. My mother left the state once, when she flew to
Orlando, Florida. I know she, more than anyone, wouldn’t want my
loneliness to last, so I told her about my relationship and asked what
flying was like. For a moment, I even imagined myself as an
international traveler, heading down the escalator under the Welcome
to the Ocean State sign to the sound of Ron, the retired local news
anchor and airport pianist, playing soft rock classics. Instead, my
mother complained that the seats were uncomfortable, the cabin
pressure made her ankles swell, and the man next to her spent
the entire flight talking about his parakeet. He was trying to convince me
that he taught the damn thing to say, “I love you,” she says.
–Eric Paul
The idea for this piece first came to me while I was waiting for my bandmates to arrive at TF Green Airport. Since we all live in different cities, a lot of our time together begins with waiting for each other at airports around the world. While I wait, I’ve always enjoyed watching people embrace after being apart. That sparked the idea of someone very lonely going to the airport simply to find connection by observing other people’s reunions. From there, I added a few more layers to deepen the conflict before finally introducing the parakeet in the closure. I love the idea of getting a pet that talks back—especially for someone who is feeling lonely.
Eric Paul is a writer and musician from Lincoln, Rhode Island. He is currently the lyricist/vocalist for the band, Psychic Graveyard. Eric has released three full-length volumes of poetry and lyrics through Heartworm Press. His writing has been featured in the New York Observer, Pleiades, Greensboro Review, Ocean State Review, Ninth Letter, Lunch Ticket, Booth, and more. Currently, he serves as the Poetry Editor of The Bryant Literary Review and is a Lecturer in the Arts & Creative Industries program at Bryant University.
Want to comment? Click!