There was nothing out of the ordinary on this particular day. I had been working at the airport for a few years now and each day was pretty much the same. Walking from the furthest gate at International to Domestic check-in several times a day was also nothing new. I liked it there, and I liked my airline uniform. It was just a simple day like any other.
I was checking-in passengers at pre-security and would print off boarding passes, handle luggage and direct the passengers to security.
I’ve met interesting people along the way including a few famous individuals.
On this one sunny afternoon, I remember the sunlight rays pouring in and oftentimes blinding us. I noticed a couple struggling with checking in and printing boarding passes at the self-serve kiosk so I wandered over and offered to help. They were relieved and happy when I came over. We all know how irritating those self-serve kiosks at the airport can be.
The young couple in their very early 20s were lovely. Lovely enough for me to remember. The young woman specifically; bubbly, happy and every other positive adjective you can think of. I asked them about their planned trip as I was punching buttons into the kiosk for them.
It sounded incredible, and I’m not just saying that. They were flying out to a particularly rustic part of Canada and picking up a vehicle for an incredible road trip. This would be a trip I would dream of taking.
At least at that time…not so much now.
It sounded like an extraordinary Canadian venture for a fun-loving and carefree couple from out of the country.
She gave me details of the vehicle they were picking up and she was over the moon with excitement. Her partner seemed over the moon about her…
I told them they were going to have such a great time, and it was going to be the best trip ever. I never said those words again.
…
I was at home a few days later with my daughter watching the news. She was playing on her phone when a story came on about a young couple that was murdered while on a road trip.
The news showed a photo of the young couple I had helped at the airport. I remember her name because it was a unique and beautiful name. I instantly felt physically ill.
This amazing young couple was randomly murdered by a pair of teenagers three days after I handed them their boarding passes for their best trip ever.
The news showed a surveillance video of the happy couple and the old vehicle they had purchased for the road trip. It was exactly how she excitedly described it to me. She shared a lot with me, she was that excited and friendly.
They looked so happy in the surveillance video, and they were so happy at the airport. They looked truly in love.
I feel emotional pain writing this. But I want to honour that young carefree couple whose names and further details will remain private.
My heart was broken as I sat there from the safety and comfort of my home watching this news program. This was one time when the news program wasn’t like every other ordinary day.
I was shocked and incredibly sad. I was traumatized, and in a way, I think I still am.
I hope the families of these two beautiful young people know that we, in Canada, remember them.
I think of them often.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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Photo credit: Frantisek Duris on Unsplash