A long sad goodbye

You know those stories that always seem to turn airports into the most romantic places in the world. You know, girl gets on plane, boy calls girl and tells her not to get on the plane, she gets off the plane and runs into him because he has just paid $1000 dollars for a first class ticket. They kiss and hug and watch the plane take off, and live happily ever after.
Well, unfortunately, this is not that story.
The next morning, after hastily packing my stuff, and lying on my bed, not able to sleep, it was time to go. I exited the dorm wearing my "traveling clothes" and carrying my bags. My eyes were puffy and red and I was fit to be tied. The only person I wanted to see was him, and he was there the second I walked out, holding a rose. He grabbed my bags and we got on the bus that was to take us from Dundee to the Edinburgh airport.
Now, before I tell you what really happened, I will tell what would have happened if I, 26, could get back up and do it all over again. I probably would have gotten on the plane. I might have cried for a minute, and then when one of the moms on our trip leaned over to me and said "you're 19 and if I was 19 you bet your ass I'd stay," I would have jumped up, possibly grabbed my carry on if I thought about it, and gotten my ass off that plane, and had my happily ever after.
However, the title of this episode is not "happily ever after". It is "long sad goodbye," so here is how it really went down. And trust me, I have spent the last seven and a half years wishing I had done it differently.
We got to the airport and since 9-11 no one without a ticket has been able to go through security, so that was where we were forced to say goodbye. Everyone said their goodbyes and he and I were huddled in the back just holding each other. I was crying, he was was crying, and eventually a lot of other poeple started crying. One of the wonderful mothers, the one I spoke of earlier, finally pulled me away from him, and let me just say that my crying turned into whailing and the poor woman at the security gate probably thought I was being kidnapped and taken against my will. Even she had tears in her eyes, and to be honest I don't even remember putting my bag down, I think I just walked through the metal detector holding it and no one said a word. We boarded the plane and I was seated next to my vacation mom. She put her arm around me and whispered "Stay if you want, you're 19 and if I was 19, you bet your ass I'd stay."
I am not sure if I even processed what she was saying, or if I just mumbled something about my parents and college. I don't know, but for some reason, I didn't get off the plane. I should have, but I didn't. I can't tell you how long the flight is from Edinburgh to Amsterdam, or what they served on that flight or even what I was wearing that day. All I can tell you is that I balled my eyes out until about halfway through it and then I eventually cried myself to sleep and woke up when it was time to get off the plane in Amsterdam, with a stuffy nose, puffy eyes, and a broken heart.
There is my goodbye. It certainly wasn't a Hollywood ending, but the story doesn't end there. Stay tuned, if anyone's listening. Seeing as though I am balling my eyes out right now, I might take tomorrow off, but I doubt it.