No Tablet, No Problem

Airport Gate, Early Evening

No screens. No earbuds. No glowing rectangles in sight.

Just two people passing time with cards and conversation, waiting for a flight that’s probably delayed. The bench is metallic, cold. The lighting is flat. But between them, something human is happening—casual, quiet, and becoming increasingly rare.

I didn’t stage this. I just noticed it. In a terminal where most people were curled into devices, these two were leaning forward, sharing space, actually looking at each other. He speaks, she listens. She gestures, he laughs. Their luggage is there, sure—but this moment isn’t about where they’re going.

It’s about the pause before it.

The photo isn’t sharp in the traditional sense. The light is uneven, the colours a bit heavy. But the honesty of the scene carries it. You forget how much people used to talk like this—how time could be filled without needing to be plugged in.

Sometimes the best connection at the airport isn’t Wi-Fi.