Gemotions

The gate attendant's voice, a bland monotone, announced the latest delay. Mark sighed, slumping in his chair. He was scheduled to give a keynote speech at a conference today, his biggest career opportunity. Across the terminal, a man was arguing loudly with a ticket agent. Mark rose and approached cautiously. The man’s face was red, his voice strained. He quietly asked what was wrong, trying to keep his tone neutral. The man explained his flight was delayed to see his son off for deployment. Mark listened, nodding. "Is there anything I can do to help?" He suggested they might find a quiet place to sit and have a coffee and talk about it. He ended up missing his flight. He found a different one later in the day, but the speech was cancelled.