Dear Friday Fictioneers,
While I realize my page is FF central where you come for the prompt and instructions,the lower half of the page is also my comment section. In light of this, I have a favor to ask of all of you. When you have an issue such as problems with linking in the inLinkz or have a technical question, please direct these to my email runtshell@gmail.com. I check my email as often as I look at my comments (which I also appreciate greatly). Thank you for your consideration.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
Click the Frog and Hop on board.
Genre: Recent Memoir
Word Count: 100
SWEET FULFILLMENT
At Ben Gurion airport in Tel-Aviv my cousin and I settled in for a twelve-hour wait.
A young man clutching a colorful bouquet and heart-shaped balloon caught our attention.
“Do you suppose he’s waiting for his arranged-for bride?” asked Kent.
“Doubtful. You’d never see a Hasid in shorts.”
My curiosity piqued. What would she look like? Our hero checked his watch. We checked ours.
At last his pretty sweetheart rushed into his arms. They laughed. They cried. They kissed.
“How romantic.” I sighed. “Dontcha just love a happy ending?”
“Yeah. Now what do we do for the next eleven hours?”
Cuzzin Kent and me at the Western Wall. © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
When in public, bored, and all else fails people watch! Ouch, 12 hours is a long wait.
Great story.
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Dear Tanille,
Yes 12 hours is a long time to watch people. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank God for e-books! Sweet tale there, Rochelle.
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Dear Varad,
Also thank God for traveling companions. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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People watching is a great way to kill time. I am a sucker for romances and what better than your sweet story to kickstart FF. Lovely writing, as usual, dear Rochelle.
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Dear Neel,
People watching is quite entertaining. 12 hours of it got a little old though. 😉 Thank you for your kind words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I loved this. I have waited in airports longer than anyone would want to. I particularly like how you showed our natural curiosity by observing other people. When someone catches our attention we let our imagination run. If you look closely enough you can almost see their whole life. The overweight business man, tapping away on his computer or the tired bored children who can not settle. In this case you saw the man with the ballon and we have a happy ending, although we know nothing about them – we feel justified because we guessed this momnet correctly. So what do you do for the next few empty hours of waiting – perhaps you are missing a good book?
I will post my contribution on Friday.
Best regards,
James
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Dear James,
Oh yes, there were plenty of children who wouldn’t settle. (Universal, no matter the race). In Israel, the Ultra Orthodox make for interesting watching. So many different types from all around the globe. I was missing a good book but had the companionship of a good friend. Thank you. See you Friday. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Eleven hours is such a cruel wait. Too long to cope with patiently, too short to go anywhere else. Eventually, you become a stone
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Dear Neil,
Had I been by myself it would’ve been more difficult. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A good memoir, Rochelle. At least you had Kent there to talk to. It’s a great opportunity for a writer I’m told. I was waiting in the Chicago airport one time and laughing because of my daughter doing selfies of her face in different moods. That’s what an actor does. Good writing as always. 😀 — Suzanne
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Dear Suzanne,
Hm. We didn’t even think of doing selfies in the airport. Perhaps we should have. It’s true that Kent and I are never at a lack for things to talk about. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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So cool!
Watch more happy endings! 🙂
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Thank you, Anita. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Hahaha! I imagine a 12 hour wait with limited options to fill the time would give YOU a great opportunity to exercise your imagination and create storylines! I don’t usually get much farther than deciding the relationships between members of groups I observe. I don’t remember ever getting the satisfaction of learning if my analysis was correct, lol.
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Dear Frances,
Mostly during that particular 12 hour wait I was trying to talk my stomach into settling. It was fun to observe the young romance. People watching is a great source of entertainment though. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You’re both writers. So now here’s the perfect opportunity to restock your libraries of character observations. Of course, eleven hours might be a tad over-facing… might need to intersperse it with some plot development too. I’m sure you used the time to your best advantage.
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Dear Sandra,
One thing’s for certain, Kent and I are never at a loss for things to talk about. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I’ve always had a major problem with anxiety when kept waiting. I always go nuts when kept waiting an inordinately long time, no matter how cute the Hasidic couples are
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Dear Larry,
They weren’t Hasidic, but they were cute. It wasn’t the most pleasant day of my life, but certainly not the worst.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The things we do to pass the time waiting at the airport 😀
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Dear Colline,
Airports are interesting places, aren’t they? 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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They can be. I tend to people watch while I am waiting for my flight to board.
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I hate waiting in airports… But then again, I guess there are a thousand stories at every gate, like your young couple in love. Nicely done. And when you say “recent memoir”, I assume you mean VERY recent.
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Dear Trent,
I’m not crazy about waiting in airports, but it can be interesting. However 12 hours was overkill. Due to extenuating circumstances it couldn’t be helped.
And yes, recent memoir as in last month. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I’m a committed people-watcher, and there’s no better place than an airport. Loved your story.
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Dear Linda,
I’m glad you enjoyed my story. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Ha! Great story. Having just endured a fair amount of air travel, I thought myself a grizzled veteran. That is until my brother told me of his 36-hour middle seat marathon flight to India.
Well done
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Dear Josh,
36 hours??? Yikes. The 12 hour flight from Tel Aviv followed by another 8 hours or so of shorter flights and layovers was quite enough. I hope your brother’s time in India made up for the travel time. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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At this point in my life, what I wouldn’t give for 12 hours with nothing to do… just not at an airport 😉 I hope your trip was lovely despite the delay.
Great story!
-Rachel
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Dear Rachel,
It’s for certain I can think of better places to have 12 hours with nothing to do. 😉 However, the day before we did take advantage of having a day with nothing to do and wandered the streets of Jerusalem. All together the trip was wonderfully memorable. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
Wonderful story. I was lucky the last time I had an 11-hour layover. A friend picked me up at the airport and gave me a tour of Zug, Switzerland! Otherwise, I try to avoid those overly long layovers. Only so much reading, people watching and walking a person can do!
Always a joy reading you,
Shalom and lotsa love,
Dale
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Dear Dale,
I envy you your friend in Switzerland. At least I wasn’t alone. With Kent there’s never a lack for conversation. Although neither of us were feeling too great. We did, however run into some other KC friends that helped pass the time. Thank you for your kind and encouraging words…always.
Shalom and lotsa hugs,
Rochelle
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I actually chose a longer layover so I could spend time with him 😉.
Could you not leave the airport to go visit?
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A little bit of description, A morsel of explanation of Hasidic practices. A good dollop of romance. And all assembled by a mistress of her craft. What’s not to like? Nice one, Rochelle!
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Dear Penny,
I just might have to print off your delightful comment and keep it for times when I’m feeling blue. This one made my day! 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I’m delighted to have made your day!
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You’ve captured the great experience of people watching in airports, Rochelle, although I usually don’t see anything this entertaining. Great story. Gotta love those loooong layovers.
-David
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Dear David,
I can’t say that I see romance unfolding like this one. It was nice to see and fun to experience with a friend. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Ah, Lotta people watching to be had in transit hubs of any configuration … 🙂
What a sweet little story!
Mine has a different kind of … um … waiting. Or does it? 😉
Na’ama
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Na’ama Y’karah,
Airports are indeed hubs. Ben Gurion is an interesting one. So open and teeming with folks of all races coming and going. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Yes, I do like Ben-Gurion’s airport. I liked the ‘fanning out’ sections with the center hub (literally) in the middle. 🙂
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People watching is great – for a while. What came next I wonder!
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Dear Keith,
What came next was more waiting, people watching and eating hummus and pita to pass the time. 😉 thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Great story, Rochelle.
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Thank you, Adele. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I think there are another 11 stories to be written… I remember waiting in the lounge once in Ben-Gurion and we ended up having fun playing with a mobile phone, taking pictures of each other… we behaved like a bunch of teenage girls (in business attire)
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Dear Björn,
I’m not sure the next 11 hours are worth writing about. 😉 Thank you for flying by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Wonderful story, Rochelle.
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Many thanks, Lisa. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You are welcome.
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Lovely story, Rochelle, I was right there watching that couple. And thank you for the brilliant photograph which inspired me to link back up via the blue frog.
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Dear Jilly,
Happy to have your company at the airport. 😉 And I’m pleased my photo inspired you to link. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I enjoyed your story very much, Rochelle 🙂
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Thank you, Maria. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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i could only commiserate. the worst thing that happened to me was on a flight to scotland from chicago. due to a storm, the flight was cancelled for the next day. since it was weather-related, i had to pay for my own hotel accommodation. such is life.
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Travel is full of pitfalls, isn’t it Plaridel? Thanks for coming by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Loved this! People-watching can pass the time nicely, yes?
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Good story of the National pastime of travelers. Lol. I am a people watcher, as you know. However, 12 hours is a bit much.
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Dear Eric,
There are some interesting people in this world. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Jan,
Thank you for reading. Glad you liked my story. 😀
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Now if the same guy turns up six hours later to meet another woman with a bunch of flowers – then we gotta story 😉
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Dear Iain,
Now that would’ve been an interesting tale, wouldn’t it? 😉 Thanks for coming by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
I enjoyed reading your story. It must have been so nice to see a potential love story unfold before you.
Shalom,
Deborah
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Dear Deborah,
That guy with the flowers and the balloon waited a long time. It was really fun to watch when his lady finally arrived. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Why wait for twelve hours at the airport? Why not go home and come back later?
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Why not go home, Abhijit? Because we were in Israel…nowhere near home. And we had nowhere else to go. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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By home I meant somewhere in Israel from where you came to the airport. May be a hotel. Isn’t eleven hours too long a wait?
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It was a long wait but we were kind of out of money and options.
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Sweet. Airports are terrible places for killing time. Perhaps you could busk, raise some bucks.
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Dear Patrick,
Thank you for adding to my vocabulary. 😀 I had to look up ‘busk’. Indeed, we should have. If only I’d had my whiteface makup with me. I suppose I could have donned the red nose. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I feel for you, Rochelle, those long waits in the airport are brutal. Love the story, though, and the beautiful. I know it must have been fun to watch! =)
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Hmmm … I left off “ending” to the beautiful. 😀
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Dear Brenda,
It was a lot of fun watching that little love story unfold. Honestly, the wait wasn’t too bad. We had the good fortune of running into a couple of different friends to help pass the time. Thank you for your kind comments. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Running into friends unexpectedly is always fun!! =)
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What a sweet story with such great observations. But isn’t it unfair that we usually are too nervous to do anything substantial when we have to wait? I always think I could write now, but I’m usually too tense and can’t concentrate. People watching is a good thing though.
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Dear Gabi,
I thought about taking out my laptop during the wait, but honestly, that day I wasn’t feeling too well. There were some interesting people to watch and a good friend to talk to to pass the time. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I’m sure there will be another cute couple along directly. Or maybe an arguing one. That’s always good for a couple of hours 🙂
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Dear Ali,
There were some interesting people. None quite as much fun as the young couple, though. 😉
Thank you for coming by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Ugh 12 hours in an airport? Stuff of nightmares ! But hopefully the chatter will make the time fly
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Dear Laurie,
If one must be stuck in an airport for 12 hours it’s good to be there with a good friend. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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At least you had someone to entertain you. lol
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Dear Dawn,
Kent’s always good for a laugh. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A nice beginning, but the rest of the 11-12 hours…ouch.
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Dear Sascha,
Fortunately, we ran into some friends who helped us pass the time. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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12 hours is a long time to have to sit and wait. I like this description of the little romance – it must have been lovely to see.
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Dear Margaret,
It was a long wait, but the little romance sweetened it. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You create the here and now of a long,long wait at the airport so clearly, felt I was there too. A romantic couple is a gem for people watching, I think. Sat in an airport, I can enjoy watching a brief encounter without knowing how the story ends – so you have to make it up yourself !
Love the photo.
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Dear Francine,
The payoff in this story is that we really did get to see how the story ends. 😉 Sweet to watch. The rest of the wait wasn’t so terrible. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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At least you were prepared for twelve hours – when such a wait hits you unexpectedly it’s a dreadful shock.
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True story, Liz. 🙂 Thank you.
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In twelve hours I believe one could illustrate a great children’s story book. If only they would allow paints etc through security.
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Dear Michael,
One would think I’d be carrying a sketch pad at least. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Eleven hours of people watching would probably include a lot of reruns, So different now than the time when we travelled with infants 😉
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Dear Subroto,
I did feel for those who had to travel with infants. Not the greatest of situations. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Haha, love the last line. There’s only so much people-watching I can do before getting bored of it. I always wonder about the couples that seem so in love… who knows if they’ll still be together next month or next year? Maybe that’s just me being cynical. 😉
You didn’t have any books (paper or electronic) with you? From that picture, it looks like a nice airport.
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Dear Magarisa,
I actually do have Kindle on my iPhone and did do some reading. I also had my traveling companion to help while away the time. BTW I tend to be bit cynical myself. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Good old books!
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yep.
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At least you had a sweet event while waiting. My last trip had only grumbly passengers. Thanks for the story, and for running the challenge!
Shalom,
Ronda
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Dear Ronda,
I also had Kent to keep me entertained. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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People watching at the airport is a great way to while away the time, Rochelle. Once I bought the paper to do the crossword, it came with a free bottle of water, I know I shouldn’t have but once I’d finished the crossword I drank the water. As we boarded I was bursting. That was the most excruciating taxi and take off I’ve ever experienced. I was begging for the seat belt signs to be turned off.
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Dear Michael,
Ouch, I feel you pain. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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