77 Days in September

by Ray Gorham

  “It feels like that, but ten times worse. Remember how unreal everything felt that day? How you couldn’t believe it was happening, even as you watched it on TV? This feels the same way. I don’t know why, but it does.”

  Seated across from them, a young mother tried to console a crying baby while her husband tried to cheerfully read a book to a child of two or three. Kyle’s eyes wandered the area as he digested what Ed had said about 9/11. Then he remembered some training he’d gone through years before. A cold chill ran down his back, and he physically shuddered. “I think I might know what’s happened,” he said, swallowing hard and staring down at the tile floor. “But I hope like hell I’m wrong.”

  CHAPTER 5

  George Bush International Airport, Houston, Texas 18:15 EST

  “So you’re saying that a nuclear bomb might have caused this?” Ed asked, his expression and tone failing to conceal his disbelief.

  Kyle nodded as his mind continued to race, trying to remember the details.

  “Why don’t I see a huge mushroom cloud, or buildings being sucked over? Shouldn’t we all have been burnt up in the explosion?”

  “Ed, you didn’t hear what I said. The bomb, assuming that’s what caused this, wasn’t detonated at ground level. If it had been, I’m sure it would have destroyed the city. The deal is this: if a nuclear bomb is detonated in space, the resulting electrical storm, or discharge, or whatever you want to call it, will wipe out everything electrical below it. Depending on how high the blast was, it could have impacted just the Houston area, or all of Texas, or even the entire country.”

  Ed sank back into his chair, struggling to grasp the information. “How sure are you about this?”

  “I’m sure about the effect of a bomb, but I’m not sure at all that this is what’s going on. I did some training with my company a few years ago. At the end of the sessions they were talking about worse case scenarios, and the nuke in space was the ultimate. It fries everything. It’s like lightning hitting every power pole in the country at the same time, but worse. The discussion was more of a curiosity than anything, but it was frightening, almost unbelievable. The big thing I remember is that it’s ’end of world as we know it‘ bad. I hope there’s some other explanation, and I’m open to it, but I can’t think of one.”

  Ed looked at Kyle, trying to find something in Kyle’s expression that said “just kidding,” but it wasn’t there. “I want to get out of here,” he said, his voice pinched and dry. “I feel like crap, I’m not going to get on another airplane today, and I don’t think the FAA or CIA or CNN or whoever the hell it is that investigates plane crashes is going to be showing up any time soon to interview me.”

  “You should get your head looked at,” Kyle said as he reassessed Ed’s wound. “You were out for awhile, and that cut was bleeding pretty badly. It probably needs some stitches.”

  Ed looked at Kyle and laughed out loud. “You just told me that a nuclear bomb in space might have sent us back to the stone-age, and you’re worried about a cut on my head? I think I’ll be fine.”

  “Just the concerned citizen coming out. It’s probably not a bad idea for you to get home. Probably safer than hanging around here.”

  “What are you going to do, Kyle?” Ed asked.

  “I hadn’t really thought about that. I was planning on being home tonight.”

  “Do you have someplace to go?”

  “No. I checked out of my hotel and turned in the car. Guess I’ll sleep here tonight and see if I can get some better information if things settle down. Who knows, maybe everything will be back to normal in the morning.” There was no conviction in his voice.

  “Kyle, you can come and stay at my house. You saved my life. I’ll never be able to repay you, but at least that would be something. Besides, I probably shouldn’t be driving alone with a head injury.”

  Kyle took another look around the airport, taking in the panic and chaos, and slowly nodded his head. “I’d like that. I don’t feel like staying around here any longer than I have to…this place could get dangerous.”

  “If things are better tomorrow, I’ll bring you back down. If not, well, we’ll figure things out then.”

  “It’s a deal,” said Kyle as he shook Ed’s hand then helped him up. “I really appreciate this.”

  Deer Creek, Montana 19:30 EST

  Jennifer walked the fifty yards across her vacant horse pasture to the next-door neighbors’ house, swatting mosquitoes as she walked and trying unsuccessfully to recall the first names of the older couple who lived there. She still hadn’t gotten to know the Andersons very well. It had been just over five months since she and Kyle had moved in, and most of their spare time had been spent making their new house a home, but the few times she had visited with the Andersons, they had seemed quite nice. Usually when Jennifer went for her morning walks, Mrs. Anderson was outside tending her yard, the flourishing garden and flowerbeds testifying to the attention they received. The two women would wave and exchange greetings or chat for a minute, but between Jennifer’s job and a busy summer their relationship hadn’t progressed much beyond that.

  Jennifer knocked on the door and heard a noise from inside the house just before Mr. Anderson swung it open. He smiled warmly at Jennifer and she returned the smile, noticing his t-shirt that proudly proclaimed him to be “The World’s Best Grandpa,” a title that seemed to fit with his pleasant smile, round face, and gray hair combed carefully over the top of an otherwise bald head.

  “Hello, Neighbor,” he said, his voice cheerful and friendly. “What can I do for you today? Lookin’ to borrow a cup of sugar?” His eyes twinkled as he spoke.

  Jennifer was surprised by how friendly he was. “No. Thanks. I’ve got lots of sugar,” she answered. “I’m sorry to bother you. I’m your neighbor, Jennifer Tait.”

  “Oh, I know who you are. I see you all the time, and it’s no bother. It’s always nice to have people drop by. You’re our new neighbor, with the three adorable children, correct?”

  Jennifer nodded. “I live next door with the children -- not sure how adorable they are, but you’re right.”

  “My wife’s told me all about your family. It’s so nice to have children around. Kids just make the world a better place. We’ve got ten grandchildren of our own, so we like to have little ones nearby. I’ll have to show you their pictures sometime. But enough about them, what is it you needed, Jennifer?

  “I wanted to see if I could use your phone, if it’s working. I only have cordless phones and the power’s out. I’d like to call my husband. He’s supposed to be home tonight and I haven’t heard from him yet.”

  “I’d love to let you use our phone, but ours are dead too.” Mr. Anderson said this just as happily as if he were announcing the birth of a new grandchild. “Grace was talking to our daughter in Spokane when the line went out. She thought she’d been hung up on but figured it out when she couldn’t call her back. I bet a car hit a transformer or a power pole because our power seems to be out too. Someone at the power company is going to be having a rotten Friday, don’t you think?”

  Jennifer agreed.

  “We sure get spoiled, don’t we? We always have power and never even think about it. Then it goes off for a couple of hours, and we can’t hardly seem to function.”

  “Kyle, my husband, works for the power company, but he’s not back or I’d send him down to check things out.”

  “Oh, that’s right. Your husband mentioned that when you moved in. I thought I hadn’t seen your husband for a little while. Is everything okay?”

  Jennifer nodded. “Everything’s fine. His company sent him down to Texas to help with recovery after this last hurricane. He’s been gone for a couple of weeks but should be back later tonight.”

  “Two weeks is a long time. I hope you know you could have come over if you’d needed anything.”

  “That’s very generous, Mr. Anderson. If anything comes up, I’ll be sure to call.”

  “Oh, please, not so
formal. I’m Charles, and my wife is Grace, but I think you know her already. She’s taking a nap, or she’d come and say hello. And please, just call me Chuck. Everyone calls me Chuck, except for Grace. If she’s mad at me then it’s Charles Irwin, but I don’t need to air our dirty laundry to you, do I?”

  Jennifer chuckled. “Don’t worry, Chuck,” she said. “Your secret’s safe with me. Thanks so much for your help. I’d better get back home and figure out something for dinner. It looks like it’s going to be sandwiches tonight, or maybe we’ll find something to barbeque. It was a pleasure talking to you again, Chuck. Please tell Grace hi for me.”

  CHAPTER 6

  George Bush International Airport, Houston, TX 20:30 EST

  “This is it,” Ed said with great relief as he approached a sparkling, cherry red Jeep.

  “This your toy?” Kyle asked as he inspected the vehicle, noticing that the jeep’s canvas top was worn, but the rest of it was in excellent shape.

  Ed smiled and nodded. “It’s a ‘78 Jeep CJ7. You like it?”

  “I do. It’s nice,” Kyle said running his hand along the polished chrome bumper.

  Ed pulled the keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. He swung it open and pulled himself inside, then leaned over and popped the other lock. Kyle climbed into the Jeep and they both sat in silence, relishing the fact that they had reached the vehicle, but uncertain as to whether or not they’d be able to go anywhere in it.

  “Do you think she’s going to run?” Ed asked as he fidgeted nervously with the keys. “Because if she doesn’t, it’s a long way to walk to my house.” He eyed the ignition, trying to muster the courage to try.

  “There were some cars running as we walked through the parking lot. Hopefully yours will work, too.”

  “Yeah,” Ed said, “but there were fifty dead vehicles for every one that worked. They were stalled everywhere, and people were still just sitting in them, not knowing what to do. Probably waiting for a tow truck to magically appear. You’d think they’d figure out that the tow truck is either dead too, or that there might be five hundred other vehicles to get to first.” Ed paused. “Even if I do get her started, I don’t know how we’re going to get across town. The whole city could be a parking lot.”

  Kyle’s feet hurt, his head ached, and he was tired, and anxiety had been building in him for the last few hours to the point that he was nearing the tipping point. “Just try the stupid thing, Ed! Then at least we’ll know,” he blurted, the words sounding more harsh than intended, but Ed didn’t react. Ed just sat there staring out the front window. Kyle took a deep breath to calm himself. “Ed? Sorry. You still there?”

  Ed’s head jerked, and he looked at Kyle. “Yeah? I’m here,” he replied. “What’d you say?”

  “I said try it, and let’s see what happens. It’s going to be dark soon. I don’t know how far away you live, but the sooner we head that way, the better off we’re going to be.”

  Ed put the key in the ignition, and they held their breath as the engine turned, resisted, coughed hesitantly, and then caught, roaring to life with a deep guttural growl, that echoed off the concrete roof above them and shattered the eerie silence that had marked their journey across the streets and parking lots. Ed tapped the accelerator and the engine raced in response. Smiling, he leaned forward and rested his forehead on the steering wheel. “That’s my baby,” he said, the relief evident in his voice.

  “I think you need to get your muffler fixed!” Kyle shouted over noise of the engine, hardly able to speak he was smiling so much.

  Ed shook his head. “That’s the way I like it.”

  Both men leaned back and buckled their seatbelts. “I have to admit, that’s about the most beautiful noise I’ve heard in my life,” Kyle said, still grinning. “Your head alright to drive?”

  Ed nodded. “Yeah. Let’s get going. I’ve probably got an anxious wife at home. If I start to feel bad, I’ll let you know.”

  Deer Creek, Montana 22:55 EST

  Jennifer leaned down and kissed her daughter. “Goodnight, Emma. The power should be back on in the morning.”

  “Will Daddy be home then, too?” Emma asked, looking up at her mother with innocent, blue eyes, her long blonde hair spilling across the pillow. “He could fix this if he was here.”

  Jennifer smiled, pleased that for her nine year old the world was still simple and safe, and that mom and dad could make everything right. “Daddy will be home in a couple of hours, and yes, I’m sure he could fix this if he was home. I’ll tell him to come in and give you a hug and a kiss if it’s not too late. Alright?”

  “Alright, Mom,” Emma answered. “I’ll try to stay awake so I can say hi, but if I’m asleep, tell him I missed him.” She told her mother goodnight and rolled over to face the wall.

  “He probably already knows, but I’ll be sure to tell him,” Jennifer reassured her daughter. “Do you want me to close your blinds? It’s Saturday tomorrow; you can sleep in if you want.”

  “No, that’s okay, Mom. I don’t want to.”

  “Alright then, sleep tight.” Jennifer pulled the door closed behind her and went to the family room where her fourteen year old son, David, sat on the couch reading a book in the fading light. His earphones were on, and his head bounced lightly to the beat of the music that played on his iPod. The family room was bathed in the pleasant, warm glow of the fading sun, and Jennifer flipped on the switch for the kitchen lights just as she remembered that the power was out.

  “Power’s out, Mom!” David said, his voice louder than normal due to the earphones.

  “Thanks for the information,” she said to her grinning son. “I’m going to get the dishes done before it’s too dark. You should probably get ready for bed now so we don’t waste our flashlight batteries.”

  David pulled the headphones from his ears. “I missed that. What’d you say?”

  “I said get ready for bed. It’ll be dark soon. I’m going to do the dishes.”

  “But it’s early,” David protested as he looked at his watch. “It’s only 9:00.”

  “In twenty minutes or so it’ll be dark,” replied Jennifer. “I guess you can stay up if you want, but there won’t be much to do. Say, did you have any problems tonight with your iPod?”

  David shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. “No. Why?”

  “I can’t get mine to work. I thought the battery was charged, but it won’t turn on and with the power out I can’t check it on the computer.”

  “I keep mine locked in Dad’s old gun safe in the basement so Spencer can’t mess with it. That way I don’t have battery problems anymore.”

  “Well, aren’t you the smart one. Maybe I’ll have to start locking mine in there too. So, are you going to help with the dishes or go to bed?”

  David scratched his head as he made a show of thinking deeply and then sighed. “I guess I’ll go to bed, but it was a tough decision. Maybe tomorrow night I’ll stay up and help, if you’re lucky. Oh! Hey, I almost forgot to ask. Can I go to Matt’s house tomorrow? He’s a new kid from school that rides our bus. Lives in that big, brown house that just got built over the summer.”

  “You have a few chores, but once they’re done, you can go if you want, I suppose,” Jennifer answered.

  David grimaced as he listened to his mother. “Is there a big list of stuff?”

  “Just the usual: mow the yard, clean your room, say hi to your father. Maybe a couple more things once I take a look around.”

  David rolled his eyes and muttered something Jennifer couldn’t make out.

  “I heard that,” she lied. “Just because you’re fourteen it doesn’t mean you can cop an attitude with me, young man,” she scolded good-naturedly. “I still have the receipt for that iPod your dad got you for your birthday. It’s only been three weeks, so I’m sure the store will take it back. And don’t forget to brush your teeth,” she reminded.

  David flashed a grin at his mom, his dimples sinking deep in his cheeks, as he disappeared
down the basement stairs to his room. Jennifer went to work on the dishes, scraping them off and stacking them on the counter, as she thought about how much David was starting to look like his father. He was already three inches taller than her and was starting to fill out in the shoulders. Another year, she guessed, and he’d be as tall as his father, maybe even a little taller. The fact that girls were starting to call David at home, and that he liked the attention, indicated her firstborn was rapidly growing up.

  Anxious to finish cleaning before the daylight was gone, Jennifer hurried to fill the dishwasher, then wiped the breadcrumbs off the table and swept the floor, finishing as the last direct rays of sunlight disappeared behind the mountains to the west.

  Her watch showed a quarter to ten, giving her a little over thirty minutes before Kyle would be home, if his flight was on time. Jennifer lit a candle, checked on Emma and Spencer, then went to her bedroom and found the red, silk teddy Kyle had given her for Valentine’s Day the year before. Securing the bathroom door behind her, she lit a second candle and placed it on the counter in front of the mirror by the first one before stepping back to look at herself in the flickering light. She turned to the right and examined her profile, sucking in her stomach and pushing out her chest. She was pleased with how she looked, having lost five pounds while Kyle was gone and coming so close to hitting her goal weight.

  Jennifer quickly changed into the teddy, then pulled out her make-up and sat down in front of the mirror. It was difficult to see clearly in the candlelight, but she managed if she leaned in close to the mirror. Kyle often commented on how pretty her brown eyes were, so she played them up with mascara and eyeliner, drawing her lashes out as long as possible. Next she warmed her cheeks with some blush, then picked out her lipstick and carefully applied it, accentuating the curve of her mouth to make her lips look as full as possible.