Jack And Wanda

from: I Was In Love With A Difficult Man

I'm rolling down the runway
it's Florida on Monday
flying to Atlanta
to catch another flight
traveling up north
back to New York
if all goes well I'll be getting in
a little past midnight

The sun is slowly sinking
runway lights are blinking
we're picking up speed
the wheels are lifting off the ground
there is no denying
the thrill I still feel in flying
Orville and Wilbur
sure turned things upside down

I have traveled all these miles
observing life here on the aisle
talked to lots of strangers
though some have not talked back
but the two beside me are feeling fine
toasting each other with wine
her name is Wanda
his name is Jack

I ask what is the occasion
for the celebration
they say it's the anniversary
of the day they met
I ask Wanda how long has it been
that you've been together with him
she smiles and says
why don't you try to guess

Now this is kind of tricky
they're at least in their 60s
30 years, 40 years
is what I want to say
but Jack raises his plastic glass
says 'they thought it wouldn't last'
we're celebrating 172 months today

I do the math in my head
wonder about what he said
why not 14 years and 4 months
and so I ask him why
he said 'I just found I couldn't wait
for a year to pass to celebrate'
Wanda leaned over and said
'neither could I'

When we land in Atlanta
they say goodbye to me
we head off in search of
different gates and destinies
I watch them walk away
hand in hand
a little old lady
in love with a little old man

Now I'm descending on a runway
the last few minutes of this Monday
no one is waiting for me at the gate
but this is the path I've chosen
and though sometimes I feel frozen
in my indecision I keep giving in to Fate

Chugging through this airport
nothing's open at the food court
everyone's gone home
except for the skycaps and the guards
and the all night taxi drivers
who will get an extra fiver
if they help this lonely traveler
get her baggage in the car

I do the math in my head
think about what Jack and Wanda said
they celebrate their anniversary
as every month rolls by
And as I'm crossing bridges, switching lanes
one thought rattles round my brain:
Wanda, you're a lucky woman
Jack, you're a lucky guy