Short Love Story; I Died on 9/11

My life was a mess even before September 11, 2001. I cheated on my wife, and she was angry and even cruel, yet she did not leave the marriage. We live from paycheck to paycheck and even though my earnings were substantial, my wife’s spending habits were also substantial.

We lived in a nice house, with great neighbors and friends. The thing I cannot do is expose my identity. It is my guilt that won’t allow me to rest, or to enjoy the new life I have purchased for myself. I tell my story through someone, a stranger who I whisper to in the late hours of the night.

It was a strange day from the beginning. I worked on one of the upper floors of the North Tower. The woman I had been dating texted me at 8:15 AM that she was in the lobby and wanted to say goodbye before departing the city. For a moment I hesitated and did not respond to her text. I broke the relationship off after my wife found out. A divorce was not something I could afford or wanted. I loved my mistress, but I could not bring myself to leave my wife.

I remember it was about five minutes later that I returned the text message and said, I would be right down. I had to take two elevators to get to the lobby and by the time I got there, she was waiting patiently with two very large suitcases.