---
layout: "../layouts/BlogPost.astro"
title: "Writing Practice: The Agua Caliente Airport"
slug: agua-caliente
description: "I did a writing exercise using a random Wikipedia page. And puns."
added: "Nov 02 2016"
tags: [learning]
---

As I go through my old notes on my computer I found this old writing exercise I
did that I highly recommend. You go to Wikipedia, hit the "Random" button,
and you just write. For this one I decided to go the dramatic first-person
route, and my topic was the [Agua Caliente Airport](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agua_Caliente_Airport).
I had a ton of fun with it, hope you enjoy!

---

I sat there, alone, waiting, at the Agua Caliente airport. I'd been there for a
couple hours, and still nothing had happened. I was hoping he'd be here by now.

I thought back to the times where we would camp in the area, suns at our backs,
on our way down to the hot springs, just enjoying the park. We'd check out the
outdoor movie theater, even when it wasn't showing anything. We'd laugh and
enjoy each other's company, having conversations that would last for hours. But
that was a long time ago, back when planes were actually based in the area, and
when we were actually happy.

I checked my watch. 3 hours. I was getting impatient. I started pacing around
the empty terminal, looking at the old chairs and the antique documents on the
walls.

Suddenly, I hear a voice behind me.

"I thought I'd find you here."

There he was. Exactly as I remembered. Older, perhaps, but just as
confident-looking, with smile lines around his eyes.

"Of course I'm here," I replied, "I've been waiting for you."

"You have to stop waiting for me. You know why I left." He opened the door and
ushered me toward it, but I refused.

"I don't know why. You never said. You had that cough and you left, and you
never came back."

"There was more to it than that," he said, "you know there was."

I looked at him, hurt.

"I was joking, you had to know that."

"It wasn't about me," he murmured, looking out into the San Diego County sun,
"when you said to my mother on the phone that I was terminally ill, you knew she
wouldn't get the pun. You ruined her. You ruined us."

I sat down, realizing that I was stuck here. I'd always be in hot water with
him. I'd always be in Agua Caliente.

---

Okay I know it's stupid. But I had fun with it. :)
