The Other Day the Music Died

“As I’m sure you know all know, today marks the three month anniversary of the 9/11 attack.”

The therapist spoke with a calm voice. Behind her, the camera man shuffled around nervously, trying to get a better shot of the guests.

“Where were you when the towers fell?”

The woman sat across from the group. She leaned up expectantly as the group fidgeted slowly. Her tight silk skirt brushed up against her legs as she steadied the clipboard on it. Behind her the video cameras moved quickly back and forth, carried by the burly camera assistants.

Across from her was the small group. Three young college students sat whispering to one another beside a young girl who sat on her mother’s lap. In the seat left to the college students a young woman with a wedding ring sat beside a man with shock-dyed hair. Less than half the number invited had shown up.

Across from her one of the three college students cleared his throat.

“Well, if no one has any objection I guess I could go. Me and my friends that is.”
“That would be wonderful.”
“Well my friends and I were shooting a film for the drama class in New York...”

----------
“Come on, chop chop. Get the fucking camera out already!”
“Get it yourself Tom. You’re the one who got us lost, ya arrogant bastard.”
“Well I got us unlost, now didn’t I?”

“Both of you shut up. I’ll get it.”
Adam popped the trunk and lifted out the large shoulder camera.

“Jesus Christ, Nick, this thing weighs a ton!”
“Hey it works though.”
“I’m not questioning whether it works or not, but couldn’t you have gotten something that doesn’t look like a fucking battle tank?”

Ben pulled himself out the car window.

“Just quit your complaining. Sometimes you make me ashamed that I’m your brother.”
“You know you love me,” Adam joked, taking the camera stand out from the back of old Lincoln.

“Ok, everything set?”
“You bet your sweet bippy.”
“Tom quit with that John Wayne voice. It’s embarrassing.”
“No it’s not.”
“Well it is if I’m around you. Now I’m gonna go tell security that we’re here to start shooting. Adam, keep these two in line for me.” Ben replied, nodding his head in the direction of Tom and Nick as he made his way up to the front entrance of the tower.

Tom and Nick helped Adam finish unpacking. The three of them soon sat on the top of the car, popping of the top of their drinks.

“To a soon to be classic movie!” Nick shouted, raising his glass.
“I’ll drink to that.” Adam whispered, clinking his bottle against Nick’s.

“So how long do you think Ben will be?”
“Beats me. Probably a few minutes.”
“Hey Adam, is that your phone?”

Adam felt his pocket and pulled out his phone, seeing that it had an incoming call. He flipped it open and held it to his ear.

“Yeah?”
“Hey Bro.”
“Ben, where are you?”
“At the side window, fifth floor. Zoom in on me with the camera, see if you can see me.”
“Sure. Nick, hand me the camera”
“No problem,” Nick replied, pushing the camera into Adam’s hands.

Adam flipped on the camera and zoomed in on the window. As he focused the lens he began to see Ben’s lanky form. Ben was leaning up against the window with his left hand on his phone. His right hand was raised in a middle finger salute.

“Oh very mature.”
“So it worked? I thought-”
“Ben? Ben?”

The phone was dead.

“That’s weird.”
“What?”
“The phone’s dead.”
“Are the batteries good?”
“Of course the batteries are good. I just changed them!”

“Hey guys look at that plane,” Tom whispered, pointing up at the sky.
“Where?”
“Over there, look how low it’s flying.”
“Oh my god...”

----------
“Are you okay Adam?” The therapist asked. Adam held his face in his hands.
“Yeah, Yeah. I’m fine. That’s when the plane hit.”

-----------
"OH MY GOD!!! Holy shit!”
“It hit it! Jesus Christ, the fucking plane hit it!!” Nick Screamed.

The three of them slid off the hood and onto the ground.
“BEN!! Get out of there!”

Adam burst ahead but Nick and Tom held him back by his arms.

“Let go of me! Let go of me!” Adam screamed, kicking and twisting as he tried to get away.
“You can’t go in there!”
“Fuck you! Let go of me damnit! Ben!”

Above them the second plane hit, sending glass shattering onto their bodies and the cars. People were screaming and diving out windows. A security guard rushed out as a chunk of rock crushed the front entrance. Sirens began to blare.

“BEN!!”

----------
Adam stopped and stood.

“I’m done,” he whispered, picking up his bags and heading out the door.
“Wait!"
“Don’t stop him Nick,” the therapist whispered.

Tom ignored her and rushed out after Adam
“Ben died in the building?”
“Yes he did. Now I think we’ll be leaving now. Adam wasn’t ready yet,” Nick replied, standing up.
“I understand, but please, give him this.”

The woman held out her card.

“Tell him to give me a call when he can.”
“I will,” Nick said, taking the card and putting it in his pocket, then heading out the door.

Silence fell for the next few minutes.
“Does anyone wish to go next?”
“I guess I could go.”

The man with the dyed hair raised his hand to get her attention.

“Of course, and you are?”
“Sam, my name’s Sam.”
“Who did you lose in the attack?”
“My mother. She was on the flight United 93.”
“I’m very sorry.”
“Don’t be, she was a tough old bird.”
“Go ahead.”

----------
“Yes mom, I know. Yes I’m here at the airport.”

Sam stood ahead of the fidgeting crowd of tourists waiting for him to hang up. He was speaking to his mother through an airport phone. Behind him the line grew more restless.

“Could you hurry up man?” a man with a thick Italian accent asked.
“Yeah, I’m almost done.”

“Those people sound grumpy,” his mother said.
“I know, but they can wait.”
“You shouldn’t talk like that, it creates bad vibes.”
“You and your feelings,” Sam joked.

“Very funny. So how’s your girlfriend?”
“She’s not my girlfriend, mom.”
“That’s what you say, but I know better. You think I can’t tell when my son is lying?”
“Ok. She’s just my friend. So how’s your flight?”

“It’s fine. The people here are nice. I found this sweet couple that sat beside me, they’re on their honeymoon.”
“Mom, she’s just my friend.”
“Oh Sam, when are you going to get married?”
“Soon mom, soon. So what gate do you want me to meet you at?”
“The plane will land at gate-what? Hey-!”

Sam jerked the phone back from his ear as a long string of voices came through the line. They spoke in many languages, some he’d never heard before.

“Mom? Mom you there?”
“Hey, let someone else go!” a woman with dark sunglasses whined.

Sam backed away, holding his briefcase, and made his way to the back of the airport, past the crowds of tourists trying to find their way around. He came to a stop at the information booth.

“Excuse me, sir,” Sam asked the young man behind the counter, “What gate is flight 93 arriving at?”
“Gate 29, just head to the back of the building.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem.”

Sam went back, following the gate numbers. He finally found gate 29.

He took his seat, trying to find a comfortable position with all the people brushing past him. He began to doze when a scream shook him awake.

A woman sank to her knees, staring up at the giant TV screen above. The channel 4 news was on. An announcer wearing a look of pure fear on his face was repeating the same words over and over.

“We have just received word that the World Trade Centers in New York are down. This is not a joke. The World Trade Centers have just been hit by two US planes.”

Sam looked up to see the departure list flip immediately to delayed, all the way down the board. Outside no planes were moving, all was silent in his mind. Streams of smoke flew across the sky as US fighter jets streaked through the air. In the back of his head he could hear the crowd’s screams behind him.

---------
“I found out two hours later that flight 93 had gone down. There were no survivors,” Sam whispered, holding his shaking hands.
“My god,” the woman beside him whispered, putting her hand on his shoulders.

“I’m glad you got that out Sam,” the therapist replied, making a note on her clipboard.

“There are only two of you left, who would like to go next?”
“I will.”

Everyone in the room turned to the little girl sitting on her mother's lap.

“Are you sure you want to go honey? I’m sure your mother wouldn’t mind going instead.”
“No, I want to go. My mother wasn’t there.”
“How old are you?”
“I’m nine.”
“And what’s your name?”
“Jane.”
“Okay Jane, go ahead.”

------------
The car pulled up into the parking lot.

Jane’s father worked in the first tower. He was head of security at the Trade Center. He had a good job, but to Jane he was the best no matter what.

“Okay sweetie, I just need to go pick up some files and then we’ll go home. Do you want to come with me?”
“Is it okay if I stay in the car?”
“I’d really rather you come.”
“It’s boring there.”
“Pwease?” her father asked, making a puppy dog face.

Jane laughed.
“Come on daddy don’t do that!”
“Ok, you can stay, you want me to turn the radio on?”
“Will you?”
“Of course,” her father replied, turning the keys so that only the radio and air conditioning were on.

“Come on give me a hug, you’re not too old.

Jane laughed and gave her father a long hug. He stood up laughing and moved up the parking lot.
“I’ll be back in a flash, honey!”

Jane sat in the car and pulled herself up to the front seat so she could hear the music. She turned the knob and the classics station they listened to came on.

--There's somethin’ goin’ down over here. There’s a man with a gun over there. And he’s tellin’me I’ve got to beware. I think it’s time we stop. Hey, what’s that sound? Everybody look what’s going down.--

Jane switched the channel, she never liked that song. On the next channel she heard one of her favorite songs, John Lennon’s Imagine.

--Imagine all the people. Living life as one.--

Jane smiled and put her head back, staring up at the building.

--You may say I’m a dreamer--

Jane squinted as a long shadow began to pass over the car.

--But I’m not the only one--

That’s when she saw the plane. Just as it hit the tower.

--I hope someday you will join us--

“Daddy?” she whispered, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks.

--And the world will live as one--

As Jane pushed her way out the car door, her hand caught the dial and the radio station changed.

--There’s somethin’ goin’ down over there--

------------
“I’m glad you told us that. That was very brave of you.”
“Thank you,” Jane whispered, taking hold of her mother.

The whole room focused on the woman twisting her wedding ring.

“I guess it’s my turn.”
“If you don’t want to go, we’ll understand.”
“No, that’s okay. My name is Kim.”

----------
“I’m almost home. The plane should be landing in a few hours.”
“Okay honey, I’ll see you then.”
“I love you.”
“Love you too,” Kim whispered, hanging up the phone and slipping into her black dress.

She had an elaborate romantic evening planned for when her husband arrived. A bottle of champagne on ice and two glasses sat on the counter. Rose petals littered the floor.

Kim laid on the bed and allowed herself to nod off.

When she finally woke she found that it had been two hours since she fell asleep. She searched the bed, finally finding the remote control.

Kim switched on the TV and laid back on the bed. She found her favorite show, Wheel of Fortune, and turned it up. Within minutes she was screaming at the TV.

“Oh come on! Buy a vowel you moron! Buy a-”

The TV screen turned black. Kim waited for a moment and tried to turn it on. Nothing happened. She was halfway through getting up when the TV flashed back on.

The screen showed a news announcer.

Kim figured that the channel had changed so she pressed the 'change channel' button. As she scanned the station her jaw dropped. Every channel was the same thing.

-“We have confirmed proof, that the World Trade Centers were both destroyed.”-

--- -------
“I’m done. I lost my husband that day, but see, I still have the ring.”

The therapist nodded and stood. The cameraman shut off the camera.

“That’s all for today, everyone. We will have another meeting three months from today. Same time. Same place. It was nice to meet you all.”

Without another word she left the room. The five remaining men and women stood in silence.

“What do we do now?” Sam asked, holding up his hands.
“Anyone care to join me for dinner?”
“I don’t know about you, but I could use some pie."
“Would you care to join us?” Kim asked, turning to Jane and her mother.

Jane looked up at her mother, her smile wide.

“Can we, mom? Can we?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“Yay!”

Jane took off across the room, dragging her mother with her. Kim and Sam followed them close behind.

“You know I’ve heard of a great new restaurant, have you heard of La Mor?” Sam asked.
“Isn’t that the place with the fountains?”
“Yeah it is...”

***

“This is a moment in history that, not just the U.S., but the whole world, will remember forever.” George W. Bush September 11, 2001.