Filling The Gaps

Chapter One

Overdue Hello’s

So, here I am at Heathrow Airport. I think I heard the man on the radio say it’s sub-zero at the moment, which is pretty cold for three o’clock in the morning…or maybe it isn’t? Who is ever up and out at this time every single morning to know for sure? Who says it isn’t sub-zero all the time...

No, no, that was wrong on so many levels. I sounded as though I was some sort of nerd desperately trying to mingle with the ‘cool kids’ at a house party that I’d only been invited to out of pity. What’s ironic is that isn’t far off of who I really am; minus the fact that I wasn’t at a party, I was at an airport and there genuinely wasn’t a soul in sight for me to ‘mingle’ with.

That basically leaves me as an awkward nerd talking to her video camera, which is more or less 100% accurate.

Before you make your judgements though, I’m not a nut-job that visits various airports and talks to inanimate objects just for the hell of it – I’m a video blogger on YouTube who, now we’ve brought it up, officially reached nine hundred subscribers last Tuesday – yes I know, how fantastic, please hold the applause.

 Flipping the miniature screen on my camera shut and shoving it back into my hand luggage, I took another look around the deserted drop-off zone for any sign of life and failed.

Don’t get me wrong, I was well aware of the fact that it was only three o’clock and the sky was still anticipating sunrise but I couldn’t have been the only one due to catch a flight to Orlando, Florida at eight the same morning, could I?

Either way, one thing was for certain and that was that I was well and truly alone standing under the huge, white umbrella like shelters which slightly resembled overgrown armadillos failing to protect me from the early September chill.

I don’t think I could’ve looked any weirder if I tried.

There I was just casually standing outside an airport with my two suitcases in hand looking like a lost Eskimo that somehow got its mittens on a quilted, black coat from Primark.

The sad truth is, I was genuinely waiting for people but there was no sign of them and anyone that may have been watching me at the time wouldn’t have known that anyway.

Wait, that’s a fucking – excuse my French - scary thought.

Considering how vacant the place was I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some creep lurking in the shadows of the car park opposite waiting for their moment to strike.

It seemed like that sort of set-up, if you ask me. With the intensity of the make believe horror movie my imagination was creating clearly proving too much, I waddled myself over to a bench placed against the wall-to-floor windows which fashioned Heathrow’s dozens of check-in desks to the outside world, barricading middle-aged women who were clearly deluded and thought a bit of lipstick made them look like Air Hostess Barbie.

Why oh why had I arrived at three O’clock in the morning?

It suddenly dawned on me that the people I was waiting for wouldn’t be there until at least five.

Luckily enough for me though, a sudden punch of inspiration came my way which would possibly help what already seemed like a decade of hanging around come to an end. 

“Hello, overly-punctual Ella here. It’s September the 27th and as you can see by how empty this place is at the moment, I’m  very  early so I’ve got to play the waiting game”, I said to my camera, panning it around the drop-off zone.

“Our flights at eight so my guess is my friends won’t be getting here anytime soon. Here’s to waiting at least another two hours before getting my gap year started! How brilliant.” I cheered sarcastically,