~ Love in Photographs ~
by Alex Tryst
Copyright © June 2002
Disclaimers: See Part 1
Part 12
"This last section deals with the events of September 11, 2001. If you are
uncomfortable reading about this particular subject, please stop here. Thank
you, Alex Tryst"
************************************************************************
Two weeks later the couple returned from their trip to Paris. Since Thomas
wanted to have breakfast the following morning, Torrance made a quick call
to her parents to confirm the time with him, but Maria asked to speak to
Helen to invite her to go shopping the next morning as well. What the
brunette had intended to be a ten minute conversation turned into an hour,
but finally she forced them to hang up.
As she and Helen stood in the kitchen of their loft after the call,
Torrance chuckled. “Man, I have nosey parents.” she joked.
Helen came to embrace her around the waist. “They just love you and want to
be involved in your life. I hope that we are parents just like them.”
The photographer nodded. “We will be. You are like my mother in many ways,
Helen.”
“That’s a real compliment .” the blonde replied snuggling into her wife’s
chest.
“Well, do you want to call your parents as well and let them know we’re
home?”
“No. I’ll wait until tomorrow. Right now I just want to go to bed.” the
little blonde whispered leaning up to kiss her beloved under the jaw.
“Bed or sleep?” the dark-haired woman asked softly with a seductive raise
of her brow.
“Follow me upstairs, and you’ll find out.” Helen answered moving away.
Turning to go she pulled her blouse off and tossed it over her shoulder at
her lover. “And turn on the air conditioning, will you? It’s hot in here.”
Torrance did as she was told, moving to the thermostat before going up the
stairs. However finding the blonde’s clothing creating a path for her to
follow up the staircase, she smiled to herself, knowing that sleeping was
the last thing on her lover’s mind. Torrance picked up each piece as she
slowly made her way toward what was sure to be an amorous encounter. Coming
to the bedroom door, she paused to look at her wife who was pulling down the
covers on their bed. As she studied her, Torrance could see that where the
blonde’s flat abdomen used to be there was a slight curvature where their
child was growing inside of her. The photographer’s heart fluttered at the
beauty of her bride. Moving into the room, she came up behind the teacher
and put her arms around her bare waist.
“I love you, Helen.” she whispered.
“I love you too, Torrance.”
“You’re starting to show a little.” the brunette mentioned resting her hand
along the soft skin of her lover’s stomach.
“I know. It’s a good thing your mother and I are going shopping actually.
My clothes are beginning to be too small.”
Absently Torrance nodded in response as she kissed along her wife’s
shoulder. “You’re so beautiful, Helen.”
“Thank you, even though I don’t feel like it when I’m bent over the toilet
every morning.” she joked lightly.
“Even then you’re still the most beautiful woman in the world to me,
because you are voluntarily putting your body through that to bring our baby
into this world. That’s a gift I will always treasure. The fact that you
love me enough to have a baby with me is beyond anything I can comprehend.
I’m just feel blessed that you chose me.”
Helen turned in the photographer’s arms and gazed up at the tall woman.
“And I feel blessed that you found me, Torrance. Now enough talk. I feel bad
about being sick most of our trip, but it’s time to make up for that. I want
you to love me tonight like you would have if I had given you more chances
on our honeymoon.”
“Helen, it would be my pleasure, but only if you stop worrying about trying
to fulfill my desires. I’m content. You’re having terrible morning sickness,
and I want to be understanding to your needs. I have the rest of my life to
love you when you’re feeling a little better.”
“Right now I need your love, Torrance. I have a feeling that your hands
will work wonders as far as curing my nausea.” Helen stated beginning to
work open her lover’s shirt.
Torrance allowed the blonde to remove her clothes before gently guiding the
smaller woman onto the bed. Careful not to put all her weight on the
teacher’s body, Torrance propped herself up on her arms as she laid in the
cradle of her wife’s thighs. Fondly she gazed into the green eyes she loved
as she softly traced the contours of her blonde’s face with her thumbs.
Stroking the fair brows, Torrance faintly kissed along the blonde’s
forehead, down her nose, before planting a delicate kiss on her full supple
lips. “Thank you for letting me love you, Helen.” she whispered before
leisurely beginning to explore every inch of her lover’s bare frame.
Torrance took extra time along the model’s mid-section, lightly dusting it
with kisses of adoration before moving lower to the place she knew would
bring her wife the most pleasure. Long into the night Torrance and Helen
loved each other before falling asleep in each others arms.
Early the next morning Torrance got up to dress for her breakfast with her
father. Even though Helen was awake, her nausea kept her in bed as she
fought the urge to regurgitate all that she had eaten the night before. When
Torrance was finally ready to go, she moved to the bed and took a seat next
to her wife. She gave a sympathetic smile as the green-eyed model looked up
at her pitifully.
“I don’t want you to go today. Stay here.” Helen requested.
“I can’t. I already told Dad I would meet him at the World Trade Center at
nine. It’s just after eight now. I have to go. Besides my mother will be
here any minute to pick you up.”
“I know. I just wish you would stay here in bed with me and hold me. I’m
tired of this morning sickness. I feel terrible and look even worse.”
Giving a laugh Torrance affectionately smoothed the matter blonde hair away
from her lover’s face. “You’re always beautiful in my eyes, Helen.”
“You have to say that, because you’re married to me.”
“Listen to me, honey.” the photographer said taking the model’s hand in her
own. “You are beautiful inside and out, and you are the best thing that has
ever happened to me. You’re a gift from God, and everyday I thank him for
giving me the blessing of your love. If I died today, I would die a happy
woman, because you have made all my dreams come true.”
Helen sat up and pulled her wife into a hug. “I love you so much, Torrance.
You’re my life.”
“As you are mine.”
“Do me a favor, will you?” Helen inquired with a smile.
“Anything. What is it?”
“Don’t die today. I’m planning on having you around for at least fifty
years or more. Okay?” she teased lightly.
“No problem. I promise you no dying today or any other day in the near
future. We have years of living to do with each other first.” Just then the
doorbell interrupted them. “That’s Mother. I have to go now. Call me on my
cell phone if you need anything. I’ll see you later.”
Helen nodded before leaning in to receive a kiss. “I love you, Torrance.”
“I love you too.” she replied heading off to answer the door. Opening it
she saw her mother standing there.
“Welcome home, newlywed.” Maria said with a smile as they hugged.
“Thanks. Helen is still upstairs in bed. Her morning sickness is really
bad. Do you think maybe you could help her through it? I don’t know what to
do for her.”
“Sure. I’ll go see if I can do anything. You take care of yourself today
and no getting into trouble.” she joked.
“Me? Never.” Torrance answered with a smile.
“Run along now. I’m sure your father is anxious to see you.”
“All right. I love you. You and Helen call me if you need anything.”
“Love you too. See you later.”
Helen was lying in bed when she heard the knock on the open bedroom door.
Looking over she saw Maria standing there looking concerned. “Hi there.
Torrance says you’re not feeling well.”
Helen shook her head. “I didn’t know morning sickness was this bad. I’ve
felt terrible everyday since the wedding.” she said as her mother-in-law
came to take a seat on the bed. “I feel bad for Torrance actually. It wasn’t
the kind of honeymoon that either of us wanted. It’s hard to be romantic
when you’re retching all morning long for two weeks.”
“Don’t even worry about that. I’m sure Torrance hasn’t given it another
thought. That woman is so deeply in love with you that there is nothing you
could do in her eyes to diminish her feelings for you. She truly believes
you walk on water. Don’t concern yourself with something you can’t control.
Now is there anything I can do to help you?”
Helen shook her head. “No. I just have to deal with it the best that I can.
I’m going to get up now and try to get dressed.”
“All right. Take your time. We aren’t on a schedule. Just take it easy.
I’ll just wait downstairs for you. Call me if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Maria.”
Once her mother-in-law left the room, Helen eased herself out of bed.
Fighting the dizziness she felt, she made her way into the master bath. She
began with her new ritual of relieving her stomach before going about
dressing for the day. After a long shower, most of which was spent seated on
their shower bench trying not to faint, the teacher moved to dry her hair
and put on her clothes. She was just finishing her make up as she thought of
her wife when she heard a wail come from downstairs. Instantly curious and
concerned, Helen headed out to the second story landing as she called,
“Maria, are you all right?” Looking over the railing, she saw her
mother-in-law crumpled on the floor in front of the television. Rushing down
the spiral staircase, Helen asked, “Maria, what is it?”
The older woman didn’t answer at first instead mumbling through tears, “Oh
dear God.”
Sinking to her knees, Helen embraced Maria as she looked to the tv. Her own
heart stopped as she saw the city of New York enveloped in a white cloud as
the correspondent said something about the World Trade Center collapsing.
“Torrance.” the blonde whispered in fear.
“Thomas.” Maria whimpered.
“Oh God. What happened, Maria?” the teacher inquired clutching the older
woman tighter. Maria didn’t have to answer as CNN just then began to replay
the video of the second tower being struck by an airplane. Both women sat
glued to the television as the buildings came crumbling to the ground. “Oh
God. I have to call Torrance.” the model stammered racing to the phone.
Hurriedly she dialed her wife’s cell number but couldn’t get through,
because all the circuits were busy. Frantically she tried Thomas with the
same result. “Come on. Please God. Let me get through.” she begged out loud
repeatedly trying each number several times.
Having no success she moved back into the living room to find Maria sitting
on the couch rocking back and forth as she sobbed and stared at the tv.
Coming to the older woman, Helen fell onto the sofa as well. Instinctively
they embraced. Neither said anything for a long time as they just watched
the drama unfold on television. Every few minutes the teacher tried her
lover and father-in-law’s numbers, but she never could get through to either
of them.
“Oh God, Helen. I can’t lose Thomas. He’s my life.” Maria admitted. “And
Torrance is my baby.”
The model nodded. “I know. I’m sure they’re fine. I bet they just can’t
call to tell us so, because everyone is trying to call people.” she stated,
trying to justify why they couldn’t reach their loved ones. Helen didn’t
even dare voice her own fears that something had happened to Torrance.
Hours passed and shopping was forgotten was the two women sat preoccupied
with each new piece of information that came on the tv. Finally around noon
the phone rang. Instantly Helen grabbed it. “Torrance?” quickly she asked.
“No. It’s me, sweetie.” her father stated. “I’ve been trying to get through
all morning long. Are you all right?”
“Oh, Daddy, Torrance and Thomas were in the towers.” she whispered as she
began to get choked up on her own tears.
“Oh, baby girl.” he replied. “Have you heard anything at all?”
“No. I keep trying their numbers but can’t get through to either of them.”
“All right. Maybe I shouldn’t tie up this line in case they try to call.
Are you okay, though? Are you alone?”
“Maria is here with me. Daddy, Torrance was there.” she sobbed suddenly not
being able to control her emotions any longer.
“I’m sure she’s fine, honey. You just have to have faith. Believe that
she’s safe, Helen. Pray that she is.”
“If I lost her, I couldn’t go on.” she confessed weeping into the phone.
“Helen, don’t think that way. Torrance is fine. She made it out.” he
stated.
“Then why hasn’t she called?” she rhetorically inquired.
There was silence a moment before John asked, “Do you want me to stay on
the line with you for awhile?”
“No. I need to see if I can get through to either one of them.”
“Do you want me to come up there? I’ll get in the car right now.” he
proposed.
“No, Daddy, but thank you. Maria is here. I should go now and see if I can
reach one of them.”
“All right. Call me in a little bit and let me know what’s going on?”
“Sure.” Helen replied.
“Helen, have faith. Try to stay positive.” he stated softly.
“I’ll call you later.” the blonde mumbled. “I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, sweetie. I have to go call your siblings and tell them
what’s going on now. I’ll talk to you in a bit.”
Once she had hung up with her father, Helen dialed the two numbers she had
been trying all morning but still couldn’t get through. Both women looked at
each other. Easily they could read the other’s thoughts and fears, but
neither said a thing as they sat clutching to each other on the sofa. Hours
passed like days. By early afternoon Helen began to fear the worst for her
beloved and father-in-law. Neither of them had called nor could the blonde
get through to them live.
As the possible reality of never seeing the woman she loved again, Helen
began to lose the grip she had on her fear. Suddenly the idea of being a
widow after only two weeks of marriage and carrying her lover’s child made
the blonde start wailing inconsolably. “This can’t be happening!” she
screamed as her mother-in-law wrapped her in consoling arms.
Just then there was a faint knock on the door. Both women jumped startled
at the sound but raced to answer it. As Helen flung open the door, they saw
Thomas standing there leaning against the doorframe and looking extremely
exhausted. Maria instantly flung herself at him. “Oh thank God you’re all
right!” she exclaimed clinging to him tightly.
“I’m all right, just tired. I had to walk all the way here. I tried to call
but couldn’t get through.” he explained holding Maria in a strong embrace.
“Where’s Torrance?” he asked Helen. Neither woman answered at first. “Have
you heard from her?” Thomas questioned.
“No. We can’t get through to her phone.” Helen stated. “Did you see her
this morning?”
“No. I was waiting on her when the first building was hit. I evacuated as
soon as the fire department got there. I called her and got her voice mail
when it first happened. I wanted to tell her not to come.”
“She left just after eight to meet you.” Helen explained.
Giving a nod Thomas put his arms around his daughter-in-law. “I’m sure
she’s fine, Helen. She probably just can’t get through on the phone.”
The blonde gave a feeble nod, wanting desperately to believe his words, but
the nagging doubt began to overwhelm her again. As tears cascaded down her
face, her in-laws guided her to the kitchen table. “You know, you haven’t
eaten all day, Helen. I should fix you something.” Maria suggested.
“I’m not hungry. I can’t eat right now. I feel sick.”
“I know, but you have to think about your child. Torrance would want you to
think about the baby right now, not her.” Maria gently stated. “I’m going to
fix all of us something.”
Thomas nodded as he took a seat next to Helen at the table. Silence
prevailed each of them off in their own thoughts until the phone rang again.
Helen leapt for it, answering anxiously. However it was her father again
instead of her wife. Unable to update him on the situation, she handed the
phone over to Thomas, taking a seat at the table once again and staring
blankly out the window. Thomas talked to John for several minutes, but once
he had hung up, Helen mumbled, “Other people are getting through. Why hasn’t
she called?”
“I don’t know.” softly Thomas replied giving a long sigh.
“Here, Helen. Try to eat something. This will help your stomach.” Maria
said putting the soup and bread in front of the model.
“I can’t take this waiting. God, where is she?” the young petite woman
questioned aloud.
Since neither Thomas or Maria had the answer, they both just remained quiet
as they all sat around the small table. After several minutes of just
watching the teacher play with her food, Thomas said, “I’ll try her phone
again.” Making the call he didn’t reach her live. “Voicemail.” he stated
after several rings before proceeding to leave a message.
As the afternoon passed into evening, the three of them remained
thoughtfully quiet as they watched tv. With each call from family and
friends, Helen became more distraught, because it was clear that others were
getting through on the phone, but Torrance still hadn’t called. Even though
no one voiced their own fears, Helen silently admitted to herself that
something had happened to Torrance. She knew for a fact that if her wife had
been able to call, she would have already. Torrance would have kept trying
until she got through regardless of how long it took.
“Maybe we should try to call the hospitals.” Maria finally proposed.
“Yeah, let’s do that. There is a possibility she was injured. I’ll use my
cell phone. You use the land line, Maria.” Thomas said. Flipping open his
phone, he noticed that he had a new message. “Wait a minute. I have a
message that wasn’t here earlier.” he mentioned.
Helen watched nervously as her father-in-law dialed in to retrieve his
message. Seeing the slight smile grace his face, she knew that it was
Torrance. However as the moments passed, his face grew more and more serious
making the model’s heart stop. Thomas became unusually still before bowing
his head and taking a deep breath.
“Thomas?” Maria called going to put her arms around him.
“I think you better listen to this, Maria.” he whispered as tears freely
streamed down his cheeks.
Helen sat on the sofa and watched as her wife’s mother listened to the
message. When the older woman had the same reaction, the model knew with
certainty that something was horribly wrong. “What is it? Is she...?” She
couldn’t even bring herself to finish her sentence.
Maria came to the couch and took a tentative seat next to her. Extending
the phone to the blonde, she softly stated, “I think Torrance would’ve
wanted you to hear this.”
Even though Helen was afraid of what she was about to hear, she took the
cell phone from her mother-in-law and replayed the message. She smiled as
she heard her wife’s voice. “Hey, Dad. It’s me. It’s almost nine, and I’m
just getting out of the subway right now. Sorry I’m running late, but Helen
felt terrible this morning, so I stayed with her a little later than I
should have. She’s having awful morning sickness and has since the wedding.
Poor thing could barely make it through the day without throwing up while we
were in Paris, but believe it or not, I didn’t mind one bit. I can’t help
it. I just love that woman more than anything else in this world. Sick or
not she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Anyway I’m in the lobby
now, and something’s going on. People are everywhere. The fire department is
here, and I just heard someone saying something about the building being on
fire. They are trying to evacuate. I hope you’ve left the building, Dad.
This seems serious. I guess I’m going to have to go outside and wait for you
to call me. Give me a call as soon as you get this, and we’ll have that
breakfast.” Just then a thunderous sound could be heard in the background.
“What the hell is that noise?” Torrance inquired into the phone absently
before there was only terrified screaming and then the line was lost.
Helen dropped the cell phone from as she began to weep. “She’s dead! Oh
God! If only I hadn’t made her stay with me this morning, she’d be alive!
She promised me!” she wailed.
Both Thomas and Maria embraced her as the petite blonde sobbed. “She may
have gotten out.” Thomas said.
Helen adamantly shook her head. “If she had we would’ve heard from her! My
life is over!” the teacher bawled.
“Helen, you have to try to stay calm. You have a child to think about.”
Maria said softly trying to settle the woman in her arms.
“A child that will never know it’s mother! It will never know Torrance’s
gentleness or compassion! It will never see her green eyes gazing at her in
adoration and love! Oh, why did this happen? Why, God?” she screamed turning
her eyes heavenward. Picking up the phone again, the teacher replayed the
message of her lover’s final moments. “Oh, Torrance.” she mumbled.
Maria and Thomas just sat next to her silently as the blonde kept playing
the message repeatedly. They exchanged helpless glances over the young
women’s head as they held her. Helen was obsessed with the sound of her
beloved’s voice, the gentleness of her tone when the message began, the
tender words she spoke of her, and even the piercing shriek of fear of her
wife over all the other screams as the building collapsed around the
photographer. Each time she heard it, Helen became more despondent as the
reality that she was now alone struck with a force she had never felt, and
yet she felt as long as she kept hearing Torrance’s voice, the brunette was
still with her.
Finally Thomas put his hand on the blonde’s. “I think that’s enough for
now, Helen.” he said reaching for the phone
“No! I can’t hang up on her! She’ll be gone!” Helen yelled.
“You can listen later. I won’t erase it. I swear. I’ll even make you a copy
of the message if you want, so you can listen to it whenever you want.” he
suggested trying to keep the young woman as calm as possible.
“You’d do that for me?”
“Of course. I’ll do it now. I’m sure Torrance has the equipment, but you
have to give me the phone first.”
Reluctantly the teacher relinquished her hold on the cell phone. Getting up
from the sofa, Thomas went off in search of something to copy the message
onto for Helen, leaving her and his wife alone together. Maria looked at her
watch and noted that it was after eight that night. “It’s been a long day,
Helen. Perhaps you’d be more comfortable in bed. You’ve had a rough day, and
you have to keep your strength for the baby.”
Helen shook her head. “I don’t want to be alone.” she whispered.
“Thomas and I will stay with you.” she assured the younger woman. “Come on.
Let me take you upstairs.”
“I can’t go to sleep without her.” insistently the model stated, but she
stood when Maria tried to assist her to her feet.
“All right. We’ll just lay down for awhile.” Maria took her by the hand up
to the bedroom. “Let’s get you into your pajamas.” she suggested beginning
to help the blonde out of her clothes. Helen allowed herself to be undressed
by her mother-in-law like a compliant child. In fact Helen had no energy to
fight the older woman. All her strength was suddenly gone, and as soon as
her pajamas were on her body, she collapsed onto the bed as her tears began
anew. Maria climbed onto the bed next to her and wrapped her arms around the
distraught woman.
“She promised me.” the teacher mumbled. “She promised she wouldn’t die
today. How could she do this to me?”
“What do you mean?” Maria questioned in confusion.
“This morning before she left she said that if she died today she would die
a happy woman because of me, but I made her promise she wouldn’t die. She
promised.” Helen explained through her distress.
Quietness reigned as Thomas came into the bedroom and slid onto the king
sized bed to cradled the young woman in his arms. “I put the message on a
tape for you, Helen. She’ll never be gone now.” he whispered. Helen simply
nodded clinging tighter to the two people who had brought her beloved into
the world, and the three of the wept themselves into an exhausted sleep.
The following morning as Helen began to wake, she instinctively reached out
for her lover to cuddle against her, but as her head landed on the chest of
the body next to her, she realized that the hardness of the photographer’s
frame had been replaced with a smaller softer form, making the blonde open
her eyes. Lifting her head she noted that she was curled into Maria and
sandwiched between her in-laws as they both held her. Suddenly she realized
that the previous day had not been a horrible nightmare but a brutal reality
and that her wife was gone. Just then the phone rang. She quickly picked up
the cordless that Thomas had brought upstairs, so that they could sleep
longer. Sliding out of bed, she greeted the caller emotionlessly.
“Helen, you never called me back yesterday. I’ve been worried.” Kelly
stated in concern.
“Sorry.” the blonde mumbled moving out of the bedroom and toward the
staircase to go downstairs.
“Did Torrance finally make it home?” her best friend asked.
“No.” Helen replied slowly moving through the living room out to the
balcony.
“What do you mean? Did you even hear from her?”
Helen stood on her balcony looking over downtown New York and seeing the
gapping hole where the World Trade Center had been. Smoke still billowed
where the institution once stood. Trying to remain strong, she answered, “We
heard from her. Actually she was leaving a message for her Dad when the
towers collapsed. She was in the lobby.”
There was a long silence between them before Kelly quietly inquired, “Are
you sure she didn’t make it out?”
“Kelly, I listened to that message more times than I can count. I heard
everything. I even heard her scream as it collapsed. She was inside when the
building fell. My life is over, Kelly.”
“Oh, Helen, I’m so sorry.” the auburn-haired woman whispered obviously
beginning to cry by her wavering voice.
“I don’t know what to do, Kelly. I don’t know where to go.”
“Come here. As soon as you can, get out of that city. It’s not good for you
to be alone right now. Mark and I want you to come stay with us.”
“Thanks. I couldn’t exactly go home with the way things are with my mom and
the baby, and I just can’t bear the idea of staying here alone or with
Torrance’s parents.”
“I understand. Come here and stay with us for awhile. We’ll help you decide
what to do. Did Torrance leave some sort of will concerning you and the
baby?”
“Yeah. I get everything, but what’s the point of that? I want Torrance, not
money.” the blonde cried.
“I know, but I was just checking to see if you and the baby would be taken
care of financially.”
“Yeah.” the teacher mumbled. Turning away from the skyline, she went back
into the loft. Moving toward the kitchen, a incongruency on the table caught
her attention. She went to it and picked up the mangled article covered in
white powder. “Oh my God.” she gasped. “How did this get here?” she asked
aloud staring down at the photograph. It was from the shoot where she and
Torrance met, and she recognized it as coming from the brunette’s wallet.
“What is it, Helen?” Kelly anxiously inquired.
“A picture from Torrance’s wallet. She always carried it, and it’s on the
kitchen table.” she explained as her eyes hastily scanned the kitchen. A
trail of white footprints tracked over the floor, and the photographer’s
wallet rested on the bar. Helen’s heart froze. “Torrance?” she called out
cautiously.
“Helen, what’s going on?” her best friend asked in concern.
“I don’t know, but I have to call you back. I think Torrance is here. I’ll
call you later.” she rushed before hanging up the phone. Running in the
direction of the footprints, she called again, “Torrance?” Coming into the
entry way, her steps halted as she saw the photographer’s body lying
stretched out across the floor. She was covered from head to toe in dust,
debris, and blood from a head wound that had dried and caked to the
brunette’s hair and clothing. “Torrance!” the blonde screamed running over
and dropping to the floor next to her. The tall woman was unresponsive at
first. Unsure of other possible injuries, Helen touched her lightly on the
shoulder. “Torrance, baby?” gently she whispered.
The photographer’s face twitched before a strangled voice replied, “Helen?”
The blonde’s tears began anew hearing her lover’s response. “Yes, sweetie,
I’m here.” she assured her.
“I promised.” the photographer mumbled as her eyes slowly opened.
“I know.” the teacher answered. Seeing the older woman trying to move, she
instructed, “Don’t try to move, Torrance. You’re hurt.”
“No.” the brunette argued trying to roll onto her side. With the petite
woman’s assistance, she made it and looked up into the green-eyes she loved
shining with wetness. “Je t’aime, mon petite chou. (I love you, sweetheart)”
she confessed.
“I love you too, Torrance, so much.” the blonde replied. “How did you
survive? How did you get here? Why didn’t you call? I was so worried.”
Closing her eyes the photographer took a deep breath. “I was on the phone
walking out when the building fell. I saw it. I tried to run, but there were
so many people. I don’t know what happened.”
“You were hurt. How did you get home?”
“Don’t know. The last thing I remember was running, and then waking up just
now. What happened?”
“Terrorists attacked us. They flew two hijacked planes into The World Trade
Center. They also hit the Pentagon with one, and they had a fourth, but the
passengers brought it down before anything else was hit.” Unable to control
herself any longer, Helen pulled the older woman to her and held her
tightly. Torrance responded in kind, wrapping her strong arms around the
woman she adored. “I thought I had lost you.” the blonde whispered.
“No. I said I’d come back. I promised you.”
“Thank you for keeping it.” the teacher sobbed in relief.
“Always, love. I’ll never leave you.” Torrance stated softly.
Helen wept into Torrance’s shoulder, the journey of the last day finally
coming to its conclusion. There would be time to try to understand what had
taken place, but all she cared about at the moment was the woman who held
her heart was safe in her arms. The mother of her child and her wife was
home where she belonged. “I love you, Torrance.” she said as the two of them
laid on the floor of their foyer, clinging to each other as if their very
existence depended on it.
“I love you too, Helen.” Torrance replied as she sighed. Even though their
world had been shaken to the core, they had survived, and all that really
counted to her was that she was home where she belonged. “I love you too.”
**************************************************************
Author’s Note: I’ve been hesitant to write about the subject of September 11
since it happened, because of the profound impact it had on my life. Living
only a few miles from the Pentagon and having worked at The Trade Center in
the recent past, I was filled with a sense of dread that day, as many of my
friends were, because we all knew of people in both places. The waiting for
that phone call or lack thereof was enough to test the faith of even the
strongest person, and the idea that you may simply never know what happened
in the final moments in the life of someone you cared about was too much to
bear for some time. However now that some time has passed, I wanted to try
to put onto paper the feelings of that fateful day that forever changed so
many lives. It is a delicate subject matter for many still, and even I still
struggle with it, so if you have any negative commentary in regards to the
final chapter of this book, please know that this is only my perspective of
what happened to me and my feelings of that day.