Gate A-4

if you read one post today, read this one. I am in love with this story. It is awesome and so is the writer for telling it, and making my day in the process. I’m reminded of those youtube videos from Russia called “the video that made the whole world cry” or something like that, each of them six or seven minutes of clips of people helping other people in random public crises as minor as crossing the street to life-threatening floods and car accidents. Why we don’t all live our lives this way every day is even more baffling to me than Fox News.

Live & Learn

Gate A-4 By Naomi Shihab Nye:

Wandering around the Albuquerque Airport Terminal, after learning my flight had been delayed four hours, I heard an announcement: “If anyone in the vicinity of Gate A-4 understands any Arabic, please come to the gate immediately.” Well— one pauses these days. Gate A-4 was my own gate. I went there.

An older woman in full traditional Palestinian embroidered dress, just like my grandma wore, was crumpled to the floor, wailing. “Help,” said the flight agent. “Talk to her . What is her problem? We told her the flight was going to be late and she did this.”

I stooped to put my arm around the woman and spoke haltingly. “Shu-dow-a, shu-bid-uck, habibti? Stani schway, min fadlick, shu-bit-se-wee?” The minute she heard any words she knew, however poorly used, she stopped crying. She thought the flight had been cancelled entirely. She needed to be…

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