The Day The World Shook (Attack on the Twin Towers) [Raw]

The Day The World Shook.

18:24 10/9/01 CLAIRE

"Claire," I hear a voice from across the room. I look up to see my boss Kelvin standing in his office door, half his body concealed by the wall.
"Don't you think you should get going? It's almost 6:30. You've been here for almost 13 hours," Kelvin tells me. I glance at my wristwatch.
"Just 5 more minutes until I can get this report done, and then I'll be out," I reply.
Kelvin looks at me with a raised eyebrow.
"Promise?"
"Promise," I say with a smile. I finish what I'm doing, and turn off my computer. I stand up, and stretch my back and legs. I grab my coat, and walk over to the window. Looking out, you can see the Empire State Building, almost concealed by the gigantic mass to my left, that is upper Tower 1 of the World Trade Center. I turn back around and make my way to the office door.
"Later Kel," I almost shout.
"See you tomorrow, Claire," he hollers from inside his office.
I walk down the hall and hitch a ride on the Express Elevator. Upon reaching the ground level, I am instantly nostalgic of the view I had from my desk on the 93rd floor. I shake my head slightly, and take the stairs down to the basement parkade. I hop into my car, and begin to drive home, right in the middle of an unusually late NYC rush hour.
I hate driving. Ever since the story Matt told me about how his father died, I've been overly paranoid on the roads. It doesn't help that I get nervous easily either. Already, I can feel my stomach churning. My left hand absentmindedly reaches for my diamond pendant. It is an upside down triangular prism in shape, although it is 3/8 of an inch thick, and 1 inch wide. A thin silver border lines its edges, making it the most beautiful piece of jewellery I currently own. It was given to me by Matt, to commemorate our first entire year being married. I realize that both my hands aren't on the wheel, and instantly my hand leaves the pendant and darts to the steering wheel. I grip it so tight my knuckles turn white. I take a deep breath, and regain my focus. "Home is only a few minutes away," I keep tellp telling myself. "Matt is only a few minutes away," I repeat inside my head, to help me get through this ridiculous traffic. It only takes a few more minutes of driving before I pull into the apartment parking lot.
I take a deep breath and exit the car. I feel a slight sense of hunger, and a motivation to get to my apartment room overwhelms me. It only takes a few minutes, but it seems like hours before I'm in my suite.
Upon walking in, the first thing you notice is the view. It might not be the view from WTC 2, but it's still spectacular. To the right, the living room is set up with a couch, and a love-seat, both clad in black leather. It is completed by a 52" flat screen TV. To the left, the kitchen is hidden behind a wall, with an entranceway wide enough to allow Matt and I to enter the kitchen at the same time. A few paces ahead of me is the bedroom, and to the left of that, the bathroom.
"Hello there," I hear a voice say from within the kitchen. I feel my heart lighten up a bit, and I start to relax. I drop my things to the floor, and let out a sigh.
"Hey," I reply. Matt pokes his head out of the kitchen, with an excited grin plastered across his face.
"I'm cooking!" He says to me. I can't help but giggle. I hang my fall coat up and move my purse from off the ground and onto the couch. The smell of bacon wafts into the living room, and I smile again. I walk into the kitchen to find Matt cooking bacon for home-made BLT's.
"I'll be back in a second, I just have to go get changed," I tell him.
"Mmmff" Matt grunts in reply. I walk into the bedroom and quickly strip my work clothes, and don a white V-neck and black shorts that go down to about mid-thigh. I return to the kitchen, and stand next to Matt. I kiss him on the cheek.
"Good job, Hon. It smells great!" I tell him. He looks at me, and without breaking eye contact, stuffs a piece of bacon into his mouth. He swallows and clears his throat.
"You're late," He says to me.
"sorry.." I say.
"You're overworking, and putting way too much stress on yourself."
I just look at Matt.
"Okay. I'll try to come home earlier tomorrow." I tell him. Matt grins.
"Alright, I'll be waiting for you. Tomorrow's my day off."
"All the more reason for me to come home early," I say with a smile. I kiss him on the cheek again, and start unloading the fridge for condiments and other BLT toppings. Matt turns off the stove and sets out a couple of plates. He helps me take all the food to the table, and then we eat in silence, both of us rather tired, and not wanting to make the effort to start a conversation. The quiet blanket that surrounds us is making me uncomfortable, so I decide to start talking.
"How's your Mom doing in the hospital?"
"She's doing quite alright. The doctor says she'll make a full recovery," Matt answers me.
"That's good. I dread the day when it'll be me getting my knees replaced though," I say with a touch of humour. Matt just smirks in reply.
"The bright side is, that probably won't happen for another couple years," Matt says with a wink, and a quick glance that seems to pierce the table and settle upon my belly. I can't help but grin. We found out just last week that I was pregnant with our first child. We had both agreed on the name Jordan, because it would fit regardless of the baby's gender. Jordan Hanefeld. What a joy it will be when this precious little soul will come into our lives. Our life.