fic: tuesdays in september
tuesdays in september
on a tuesday in september, claire is late for work. they don't teach you how to react to a tragedy. original fic. 1,121 words. pg. written for lighting (formerly cresent) for inrevelations' first challenge.
On a Tuesday in September, Claire is late for work.
It’s not technically her fault, she keeps reminding herself - the alarm clock didn’t go off again - but she’s muttering curse words under her breath all through the drive to work. It’s only her third week there, she’s already been late twice, how does that look? She needs this job more than anything right now.
The only thing that seems to cheer Claire up that morning is the post-it note Ben leaves on the coffeemaker before he left - Have a great day! Love, Ben - in his distinct, messy script. He worked long hours as an investment banker in the city, leaving hours before Claire and coming home when she was soundly asleep. They weren’t together as often as she’d like, but the little notes on the coffeemaker and the phone calls before bed every night telling her how much he loved her kept them connected.
The day they moved into their first house, Ben promised life would be better for them, saying that one day a few years down the road, he’d make enough money to move them into a building in the city across the river. Standing in the front yard, Claire laughed and rolled her eyes, teasing that it would never happen.
She contemplates calling him from the car that morning, but decides against it. He’s probably already on the train, she reasons. He won’t be able to hear me anyway.
Claire arrives at the office only a few minutes late, which is good, as her boss gets tense and things tend to get a little hectic as the day moves on. Her duties as the receptionist are simple - answer the phones, send faxes, greet customers - it gets mundane doing the same thing day after day, without so much as a good job or thank you from her boss once in awhile, but she really needs the money if she and Ben want to move to the city soon.
--
She’s reading over proposals her boss asked her to read and edit when an assistant calls her, fear in her voice, telling her to turn on the television.
Flipping on the television in the reception area, the image starts out dark but becomes clearer, broadcasting Breaking News graphics and footage of planes hitting the World Trade Center in New York City. She’s transfixed by the images of a plane crashing into a building, the towers going up in smoke and how the news seems to play them over and over until Claire can’t tell whether this is really happening or it’s some kind of bizarre nightmare.
She hasn’t called Ben at all today - too busy; in fact, the last time she talked to him was early that morning, as she groggily muttered a reply to his announcement that he wanted to take her out to dinner in the city later in the week, maybe tomorrow. Stunned by what she’s just seen, she frantically picks up the phone and dials his number without thinking, still staring at the horrifying images on television.
--
Four hours later and Claire still hasn’t reached him; she’s left what seems like thousands of messages, each one more desperate sounding than the next. She cringes every time she gets Ben’s voicemail, hearing his cheerful recorded voice state that he’s not available at the moment, but you can leave a message and he’ll call you back as soon as he can. She longs to hear his actual voice, saying he’s all right, he’s safe, he loves her. Not being able to talk to him while all this is going on and Ben’s there in the middle of it all, she fears the worst.
Ben doesn’t call back until Claire’s safe at home and eating dinner. She’s had the news on since she got home earlier that afternoon - her boss sent everyone home early since the only thing they could think about was what was happening across the river, their eyes glued to the news running on the numerous televisions in the office, unable to focus on work. The news reports more and more details of the tragedy as the hours pass; plane crashes in DC and Pennsylvania, as well as the city.
She’s near tears when he calls, both incredibly grateful he’s alive and frantic that he didn’t call sooner. He’s perfectly fine, given the situation; he had breakfast with a friend at a restaurant near his office when he heard the news. Things in the city have been crazy all day, he says, and it’s near impossible to leave - he’ll spend the night there, will she be all right? She’ll be fine, and repeats I love you, I’m glad you’re safe over and over until the words lose their meaning.
She stares out the bathroom window that night as she’s brushing her teeth, noticing the sunset against the now-changed skyline, clouds of dark grey smoke filling the void where the towers once stood. She weeps thinking about how that could’ve been her in that building, if she and Ben lived in the city. Now apprehensive about living in a place that could be hit by planes, she decides she never wants to move there, and would rather stay safe in their little house across the river, far away from these threats.
Claire and Ben never do move to the city.
--
Five years later, and Claire and Ben have a three year old daughter, Charlotte - the perfect mix of her looks and his personality. Born two years to the day after that Tuesday in September, Claire never saved the newspaper from the day she was born; she doesn’t want Charlotte growing up associating her special day with a devastating event that happened years before she was born.
They did take her to the crash site once, on her birthday, a quick detour between the Broadway matinee and dinner at their favorite restaurant. There’s really nothing left, just a pile of dirt nearly covered in flowers, a makeshift memorial. It wasn’t their intention to go there, given the significance the day has for them, but Claire and Ben both wanted to teach Charlotte that there are bad people in the world, and they changed a lot of people’s lives that day five years ago, including theirs.
Charlotte doesn’t quite understand why she’s here, but takes it all in anyway, peering over the railing to the crash site below, watching as her parents cry and hug each other. When Claire mentions to Charlotte than both she and Ben lost friends that day, Charlotte looks at her mother with her trademark look of confusion and curiosity, failing to understand.
Claire and Ben both laugh through their tears, knowing everything will be alright.
on a tuesday in september, claire is late for work. they don't teach you how to react to a tragedy. original fic. 1,121 words. pg. written for lighting (formerly cresent) for inrevelations' first challenge.
On a Tuesday in September, Claire is late for work.
It’s not technically her fault, she keeps reminding herself - the alarm clock didn’t go off again - but she’s muttering curse words under her breath all through the drive to work. It’s only her third week there, she’s already been late twice, how does that look? She needs this job more than anything right now.
The only thing that seems to cheer Claire up that morning is the post-it note Ben leaves on the coffeemaker before he left - Have a great day! Love, Ben - in his distinct, messy script. He worked long hours as an investment banker in the city, leaving hours before Claire and coming home when she was soundly asleep. They weren’t together as often as she’d like, but the little notes on the coffeemaker and the phone calls before bed every night telling her how much he loved her kept them connected.
The day they moved into their first house, Ben promised life would be better for them, saying that one day a few years down the road, he’d make enough money to move them into a building in the city across the river. Standing in the front yard, Claire laughed and rolled her eyes, teasing that it would never happen.
She contemplates calling him from the car that morning, but decides against it. He’s probably already on the train, she reasons. He won’t be able to hear me anyway.
Claire arrives at the office only a few minutes late, which is good, as her boss gets tense and things tend to get a little hectic as the day moves on. Her duties as the receptionist are simple - answer the phones, send faxes, greet customers - it gets mundane doing the same thing day after day, without so much as a good job or thank you from her boss once in awhile, but she really needs the money if she and Ben want to move to the city soon.
--
She’s reading over proposals her boss asked her to read and edit when an assistant calls her, fear in her voice, telling her to turn on the television.
Flipping on the television in the reception area, the image starts out dark but becomes clearer, broadcasting Breaking News graphics and footage of planes hitting the World Trade Center in New York City. She’s transfixed by the images of a plane crashing into a building, the towers going up in smoke and how the news seems to play them over and over until Claire can’t tell whether this is really happening or it’s some kind of bizarre nightmare.
She hasn’t called Ben at all today - too busy; in fact, the last time she talked to him was early that morning, as she groggily muttered a reply to his announcement that he wanted to take her out to dinner in the city later in the week, maybe tomorrow. Stunned by what she’s just seen, she frantically picks up the phone and dials his number without thinking, still staring at the horrifying images on television.
--
Four hours later and Claire still hasn’t reached him; she’s left what seems like thousands of messages, each one more desperate sounding than the next. She cringes every time she gets Ben’s voicemail, hearing his cheerful recorded voice state that he’s not available at the moment, but you can leave a message and he’ll call you back as soon as he can. She longs to hear his actual voice, saying he’s all right, he’s safe, he loves her. Not being able to talk to him while all this is going on and Ben’s there in the middle of it all, she fears the worst.
Ben doesn’t call back until Claire’s safe at home and eating dinner. She’s had the news on since she got home earlier that afternoon - her boss sent everyone home early since the only thing they could think about was what was happening across the river, their eyes glued to the news running on the numerous televisions in the office, unable to focus on work. The news reports more and more details of the tragedy as the hours pass; plane crashes in DC and Pennsylvania, as well as the city.
She’s near tears when he calls, both incredibly grateful he’s alive and frantic that he didn’t call sooner. He’s perfectly fine, given the situation; he had breakfast with a friend at a restaurant near his office when he heard the news. Things in the city have been crazy all day, he says, and it’s near impossible to leave - he’ll spend the night there, will she be all right? She’ll be fine, and repeats I love you, I’m glad you’re safe over and over until the words lose their meaning.
She stares out the bathroom window that night as she’s brushing her teeth, noticing the sunset against the now-changed skyline, clouds of dark grey smoke filling the void where the towers once stood. She weeps thinking about how that could’ve been her in that building, if she and Ben lived in the city. Now apprehensive about living in a place that could be hit by planes, she decides she never wants to move there, and would rather stay safe in their little house across the river, far away from these threats.
Claire and Ben never do move to the city.
--
Five years later, and Claire and Ben have a three year old daughter, Charlotte - the perfect mix of her looks and his personality. Born two years to the day after that Tuesday in September, Claire never saved the newspaper from the day she was born; she doesn’t want Charlotte growing up associating her special day with a devastating event that happened years before she was born.
They did take her to the crash site once, on her birthday, a quick detour between the Broadway matinee and dinner at their favorite restaurant. There’s really nothing left, just a pile of dirt nearly covered in flowers, a makeshift memorial. It wasn’t their intention to go there, given the significance the day has for them, but Claire and Ben both wanted to teach Charlotte that there are bad people in the world, and they changed a lot of people’s lives that day five years ago, including theirs.
Charlotte doesn’t quite understand why she’s here, but takes it all in anyway, peering over the railing to the crash site below, watching as her parents cry and hug each other. When Claire mentions to Charlotte than both she and Ben lost friends that day, Charlotte looks at her mother with her trademark look of confusion and curiosity, failing to understand.
Claire and Ben both laugh through their tears, knowing everything will be alright.