The Moon, The Sun, and Everything Else

When I Think About You: 2001

Just a portion of a prompt I've written.

*Warning: Strong mentions of September 11, 2001*

2001

"When I think of you, I think about 2001, when the soccer game you were watching, and how it got overridden by a breaking news alert. I remember the quiver in your voice as you called me into the living room."

Kirstin Maldonado P.O.V

I laughed to myself as Avi's cheers filled the hallway. He was watching some soccer game that was on the TV, and I assumed the team he wanted to win was ahead. I shut the oven and set a timer before running out to the curb really quickly to get the mail. While outside, I got sidetracked, talking to one of our apartment neighbors. Before I knew it, half an hour had passed, and I knew I had that pizza in the oven still. I ran inside my shared apartment with Avi, and pulled the pizza from the oven, sighing a sigh of relief that it wasn't burnt. "Avi, dinner's ready!" I called over the running faucet as I washed my hands.

"K-Kirstie, come here." I heard a distinct quiver in Avi's voice.

His mood fell fast. I thought.

"What's up, My Love?" I walked into the living room, seeing Avi's eyes wide at the screen, and the soccer game gone. "What happened?" I sat beside him, taking a look at the screen for myself. It didn't take long to see that Fox News had taken over the soccer game, and with good reason too.

BREAKING NEWS: Plane crashes into the World Trade Center Tower

We both sat there in silence, not knowing what to say. It was just a freak accident, right? That's what we both thought, until the news caster started exclaiming nonsense syllables as another plane hit the first tower's twin. This was no freak accident. We sat motionless, paralyzed in fear. Even though this was happening over 1,000 miles from us, we could feel the whole country freeze.

"Oh my God, Kirstie." Avi's hand fell hard onto my knee.

"What?" My eyes snapped up to his. Avi was cut off by the reporter speaking up again. Neither one of us looked, it was too hard to look at. "Avi, what's wrong?"

"Esther, was going to New York to surprise Darien, he...she...oh my God."  Avi's eyes welled with tears. He stood up and started pacing the floor. I muted the TV before standing up and intercepting his path.

"Avriel, she was not on that plane." I grabbed both of his hands in mine. "You have to believe she wasn't on that plane. Try calling her, okay?" I handed him his phone. "Then we can have dinner." Avi nodded and shakily took the phone from my fingertips. As he dialed her number, I went into the kitchen and started slicing the pizza. I came back moments later, a slice of pizza on a plate in each hand. "Here, Babe." I handed him one plate, and I sat down with the other. Avi sat down beside me, setting his plate on the coffee table.

"She didn't answer. It didn't even ring. It went straight to voicemail." Avi choked on the words he was saying. His breath hitched, as did mine.

"No, no, Avi, there had to be a reason, maybe the flight got delayed because of this mess, maybe--"

"There are no "maybes", Kirstin!" Avi exclaimed, tears slipping from his eyes as he stood up once more. He ran his hand down the back of his head, knocking his beanie to the floor. His hands continued to anxiously travel through his hair.

"Avriel, please breathe. You very well could be looking at this at the wrong angle." I was surprised at my own calmness . "What time was her flight supposed to land?"

"Kirstie, I don't know! She doesn't give me any of that because last time I helped her with a flight, she ended up on the entire wrong side of the state! I'm not good at airports anyway!" I tried my hardest not to chuckle. Well, I wasn't necessarily "good at airports" either, considering my track record of borderline missing my last four flights. "And, just, how am I supposed to go on without her, how am I--" Avi was cut off by his phone ringing.

"It's your parents." I stated, my bottom lip nervously collecting between my teeth.

"Take it!" Avi exclaimed, handing the phone to me. I answered the call, trying to sound as calm and collected as possible. I paced a small square as I hung onto every word Avi's father was saying. "What's he saying?!" Avi whispered, and I shushed him so that I could hear.

"Alright, thank you so much." I said as the call came to an end. I cleared my throat to try to rid my mouth of the metallic taste of blood that was a direct result from me biting my lip too much. "There was a problem at the airport, and she had to go through some crazy intense security when she landed, but she's safe, Avi." I wrapped him up into a hug. "She's safe."