The Cancelled Flight

Yara arrived at the airport two hours early, exactly as she always did. She had a connecting flight to catch in another city. She liked having plenty of time to spare.

雅拉提前两个小时到了机场，和她一向的做法一模一样。她要赶去另一座城市转机。她喜欢把时间留得宽裕一些。

She had just settled into a seat near her gate when an announcement crackled overhead. Her flight had been cancelled due to a mechanical issue. Passengers were asked to speak with an agent at the counter.

她刚在登机口附近找了个座位坐下，头顶就传来一阵带着杂音的广播。她的航班因机械故障取消了。请旅客到柜台找工作人员办理。

Yara's stomach tightened. She had a meeting the next morning that she couldn't miss. This was her only flight of the day on this route.

雅拉的胃一下子揪紧了。她第二天早上有一场绝对不能错过的会议。而这是这条航线当天唯一的航班。

The line at the counter grew quickly. Yara found herself standing behind a woman who looked just as worried as she felt. "Cancelled too?" the woman asked, glancing at Yara's boarding pass.

柜台前的队伍很快变长了。雅拉发现自己排在一位女士身后，那位女士看上去和她一样焦急。“你的也取消了？”那位女士看了看雅拉的登机牌，问道。

"Yes," Yara said. "I have a meeting tomorrow morning. I really can't be late."

“是的，”雅拉说，“我明天早上有个会。我真的不能迟到。”

"Same here," the woman said. "I'm Leah, by the way. Have you checked for other flights already?"

“我也是，”那位女士说，“对了，我叫莉娅。你已经查过别的航班了吗？”

Yara hadn't thought of that yet. She opened an app on her phone while they waited in line. She searched for flights leaving that evening from any nearby airport.

雅拉还没想到这一点。排队等候的时候，她在手机上打开了一个应用。她搜索了当晚从附近任何一座机场起飞的航班。

"There's one from the smaller airport across town," Yara said, "but it leaves in ninety minutes."

“城那头的小机场有一班，”雅拉说，“不过九十分钟后就起飞了。”

"If we share a taxi, we might actually make it," Leah said. "It's worth trying, at least."

“如果我们合坐一辆出租车，说不定真能赶上，”莉娅说，“至少值得试一试。”

They left the line together and hailed a taxi outside. The driver, sensing their urgency, took a route through side streets to avoid the worst of the traffic.

她们一起离开队伍，在外面拦了一辆出租车。司机察觉到她们的急迫，选了一条穿过小街小巷的路，避开最堵的路段。

They reached the smaller airport with twenty minutes to spare, breathless but relieved. At the counter, they discovered two seats were still available on the flight.

她们到小机场时还剩二十分钟，气喘吁吁，但松了口气。到了柜台，她们发现那班飞机上还剩下两个座位。

"I can't believe that actually worked," Yara said, laughing as she handed over her passport.

“我真不敢相信这居然成了，”雅拉一边递上护照，一边笑着说。

"Desperate plans sometimes do," Leah said, grinning.

“孤注一掷的计划，有时候就是管用，”莉娅咧着嘴笑道。

They boarded the plane together and, by coincidence, found their seats were only a few rows apart. As the plane lifted off, Yara pulled out her notes for the next day's meeting. She finally let herself relax.

她们一起登上了飞机，碰巧发现两人的座位只隔了几排。飞机起飞时，雅拉拿出了为第二天会议准备的笔记。她终于让自己放松了下来。