Nothing good…

It’s the young mom, and she looks really upset. You turn, with everybody else, to stare with mounting dread at the departures board…

…which is now flashing the words ‘CANCELLED’ next to every single flight.

‘Shit,’ Daisy mutters. All around you, people are expressing their displeasure. A businessman with a shiny orange tie yanks his case out from under the seat and stomps towards the exit without speaking.

‘Guess we’re spending the night,’ you say under your breath. Then there’s a sound from the corner.

‘Guys? Guys!’ It’s the boy from before; he’s stopped charging his iPhone and hopped up onto a nearby pot plant. ‘Can everyone hear me? I just wanted to say, if anyone needs a taxi number… I’m local, or I used to be. I can help you find a cab.’ He scratches his chin. ‘Or a hotel, I guess… I only have the one number stored, but it’s better than nothing, right? I’ll just be, ah, standing here.’ He gets down off the pot plant, looking slightly sheepish.

‘Bless him,’ Daisy says quietly. ‘You know, this is the one thing I like about shitty situations… human beings coming together. We’d be screwed without that guy – I still don’t have any internet.’

You dig your phone out of your pocket, squinting at the screen. ‘Crap, yeah. Me too.’

Sliding off the seat, you join Daisy and a small crowd of other people drifting towards the young couple. Something brushes against your knee, and you look down to see the little kid from earlier, closely followed by his mom.

She looks like she’s about to cry – and you quicken your pace slightly, catching up with her. ‘Hey, um, miss? Are you okay?’

The young mom turns, and her eyes are haggard, exhausted. ‘I’m fine. Thank you. Just… trying to figure things out, you know?’

You nod, aware that she’s probably putting on a brave face for the kid. ‘Sure. Hey, don’t worry, okay? We’re all in this together. No one’s sleeping here tonight.’

The woman nods, although you can tell she doesn’t really believe you. Her kid just blinks sleepily, feet scuffing against the shiny floor.

‘Hey, man!’ The guy by the pot plant turns as you approach. ‘So, um, turns out the taxis are snowed under, but the hotel’s walkable from here. It’s twenty minutes in the snow, but… it’s doable. Just.’ He grimaces.

‘Only catch is… it’s a real fancy-ass kind of place. Walton or Waldorf or some shit. Expensive as hell.’ He shrugs. ‘I mean, that probably means they’ll have rooms free, but it’s still not gonna be cheap…’

You wave a hand dismissively. ‘Screw that, we can claim it back from the airline. Just make sure we keep the receipts.’

‘No – I can’t do that!’

You turn, surprised. The young mom’s eyes are shining with tears.

‘I just… I mean, I can’t afford it.’ Her shoulders slump. ‘I don’t have another credit card – I maxed out this one two weeks ago buying presents. And I’m barely gonna make that payment as it is next month… a night in a five-star hotel? For both of us? It’s gonna bounce, and then I’ll be screwed.’