Member-only story
THE NARRATIVE ARC
The Airport Goodbye That Broke a Father Twice
How two airport moments changed my life as a father
I hadn’t cried in fifteen years. Now, stumbling through Austin airport with red eyes, I was making up for lost time.
Head down, not wanting anyone to see my face, I trudged through the airport. My wife tried to talk to me, but I mumbled a few incoherent words and wiped my eyes. I felt like throwing up. Or getting drunk. Both seemed like reasonable options to numb the ache in my chest. After three weeks of pure joy with my boys, reality had sucker-punched me in the gut.
My mind flashed back to 2009.
The memory hit me with startling clarity.
The day started like any other — another corporate success story in the making. Bouncing out of a meeting, with a spring in my step reserved for those who had negotiated a big business deal, I turned on my brand-new iPhone.
I shook my head in amazement at this innovative technology.
Will a phone ever get better than this? I thought as I started scrolling through my messages.
Then, it hit me like a freight truck: a text from my wife.
