Friday, August 8, 2014

The boy with the girl with the red shoes

We have just returned from a 3 week trip to Scandinavia.  One of the things that I like to do when I am in airports is people watch.  I will watch a couple and then tell Ken what I think is happening with that couple.  He normally just smiles when I tell him my scenario.

Well, we had a couple of hours at the Copenhagen airport before we could check in to even go to our gate area.  So we went to a pub in the airport to have a snack and a beer (wine for me).  Ken was facing the window and I was facing the interior of the pub so that I could people watch.  Ken says to me, "There is a couple outside that is having a hard time saying goodbye."  This is strange for him to say because he is not a people watcher, but maybe I am finally rubbing off on him.  :)

I turn around and look.  It is a young couple. She has light red hair, pulled back in a casual ponytail, is wearing olive colored pants and tan top, but bright red shoes.  He has shaggy, somewhat long hair.  They are sweetly kissing.  Normally, I would not watch people kissing.  Often times for public kissing, you either see short perfunctory kisses OR the one where they are trying swallow each other.  But this one had us riveted.  He suddenly drops his backpack that he has on his shoulder and she leaps into his arms.  She is much shorter than him so her feet with red shoes just dangle in the air as he holds her upper body in his arms.  They are not kissing, just holding each other.  Even from about 30 yards away, I can see that she is crying.  (She is facing us and he is facing the other way.)  She is softly stroking his back.  It makes me cry watching them.

Ken says, "Why don't you take a picture?" because he knows that I take a picture of everything-my food, sewer covers, interesting walls, etc.  I said, "No, I can't take a picture of it.  It is too intimate.  Too personal."

When he puts her down, they are still standing facing each other.  He is ever so gently running his hands up and down her upper arms.  They kiss again.  He picks up his bag again, signaling that he is about to leave.  After a minute, he suddenly drops his bag again and literally sinks down behind a 3 foot metal traffic barrier, with his head in his hands.  She gracefully sits down next to him and encircles his head with her arms in an embrace.  Then I thought that I could take a picture of this because they are mostly concealed, but you can see her red shoes.
 



I am thinking, "This is better than a romance on TV!".  So, we are sitting there, drinking our drinks, occasionally looking over to see what is happening.  We can just see his head, but we can see all of her, even her red shoes,  because she is on the end.  We order food, Ken goes off to the bathroom, etc.  They are still there.  It is getting close to the time that we will be able to check in with our luggage, when suddenly they get up and come into the airport.  Ken says, "Well, now it is your chance to see them and what finally happens."  I said, "I have to go to the bathroom, so I will just glance at them to see the finale and go off to the bathroom."  I go out of the pub and I see them.  He is walking in front, looking at the check in counters.  She is following, her face all red, obviously trying to contain herself.  I think that I can't go to the bathroom just yet.  The final goodbye will be happening any minute.  So I step back by the newspaper rack and surreptitiously watch.  I have to say, strangely enough, I do not feel guilty doing this.  He seems to see his counter, the Transavia airline from The Netherlands.   They come back together, alternately holding each other and sweetly kissing.  This is going on for another 10 minutes.  I decide, OK, I have got to go to the bathroom, we have GOT to check in.  I need to leave and go downstairs.  Chances are, the way things have been going, they will be here when I get back.  But they weren't.  :(

I would love to know the back story of this couple-what was happening, why was he leaving, did they just meet, would they ever see each other again.....  I hope that everything works out for them.

Anyway, their love story made our time waiting to check in more interesting.  And the most interesting thing about this is that Ken (not a people watcher) spotted this!
 

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