The 95th Floor

by N R Brooks

  As you walk through the corridors and view the many displays and trinkets available to the public, you hear a multitude of different languages being spoken. In places like Idaho, you might see others scoffing at the sound of someone speaking a language other than English. But not here. It is sad that even today Americans have to be reminded that this country has no official language. Get over it.

  When we made our way through the windowed corridor, we rode up the escalator to the top of the building. The first escalator takes you up to the halfway point where you pass through a revolving door to a second escalator. There you see the blinding light of the sun slowly growing larger and brighter until you are standing outside over thirteen hundred feet in the air.

  We were smart to bring our jackets as the temperature was slightly lower, mostly due to the wind. We walked along the railed path that spanned the perimeter of the rooftop. We peered through the binoculars at various points of the city and even at monuments like the Statue of Liberty. I recalled how I always pictured the statue as this monstrous structure that loomed over the bay, but in reality, it is quite tiny when compared to something like the twin towers.

  When we finished gawking at the sights of the city, we finally stood at the rail looking out into the water that led to the ocean and just held on to each other.

  “So when do you think you will have to leave to train to be a pilot?” She finally asked after moments of silence.

  “Probably June or July I imagine. I have to check around to different flight schools and see where I get accepted. I will probably check around in Florida since I hear they have the best schools.”

  “Florida? But that is so far away! I thought you were just going upstate or something.” She said, suddenly looking worried.

  “Yeah, I’m sorry. I’ll call you and write you every day, I promise.”

  She smiled at this. “Well, you don’t have to go that far, silly. Just please, don’t forget about me.”

  “Where is all this coming from? How could I ever forget about you? You are my world. I want to do this for both of us.” I said, making sure she heard every word.

  Her head was nuzzled into my chest. I put my hand under her chin to look at me, and I saw tears welling up in her eyes. I wasn’t aware that she felt so strongly about this.

  “Hey, why the tears?” I asked her.

  “I’m sorry. It’s just now that you have been with me and I haven’t been alone these last few months, I get scared about being alone again. It’s stupid, I know. I can handle myself just fine, but I just don’t want to. It’s not that I can’t. I just don’t want to do it again.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I don’t know how I can express this, but it is just something I have to do.” I really didn’t know how I could explain it. I really did have to do this. Just not for the reasons that she would hear from me.

  “I know. I am just emotional. I’ll be fine. Really.” She said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

  “You are the toughest person I know. I know you will be fine. And I will only be a phone call away when I am down there.” I knew this was not a reassuring as I wanted it to be.

  “I can always come down and see you. I have never been to Florida.” She mumbled, trying to sound cheerful.

  “Look, this isn’t happening for another month or so. Let’s just enjoy our day together and talk about this stuff when we get back home? Okay? Besides, I couldn’t spend my time down there without bringing you along. It will be a new experience for both of us. I’ve never been there before. Hell, up until last year, I had never even been outside of my own state.”

  “Okay, you’re right.” She didn’t sound completely convinced.

  I tilted her face up at me once more. “Keiko, trust me. You will always be the first thing I think about. Today and fifty years from now.”

  This made her eyes tear up again, but I did not hear any sobbing. We embraced for a long time and eventually rode the escalators down into the indoor observatory once more. As we stood in the windows overlooking the island, I stood behind her with my arms wrapped around her and my cheek resting on her head.

  She randomly broke the silence to ask me, “How long do you think these towers will be here?”

  This shocked me as I really didn’t know what to say to that. Do I answer with the truth, or do I assume my plans will succeed? Instead, I just replied with the first thing that came to my mind.

  “I don’t know. We will just have to wait and see.”

  Chapter 15

  As the month of May went on, Keiko proved to be even more supportive than I had initially expected. Of course, I didn’t expect any less of her, but she proved herself far beyond expectations. During the time we spent together—which wasn’t a whole lot due to our work hours—she helped me send emails to various flight schools in Florida. I already knew where I would be going, but I let Keiko do her part to be helpful. It made me feel slightly bad because she was doing all she could to help me out when I really already had everything planned out.

  It turns out that I had been accepted to a couple different schools in the area, but I explained to her that the one I felt the best about would be the Florida Flight Training Center in Venice. This would be the flight school that I could meet Ziad and begin the task of becoming friends with him in order to get within the inner circle, or as much as I could anyway. My main focus would be to become friends with Ziad just enough that I could try and convince him to abandon his plans.

  Timing would be everything. If I started blurting knowledge of their plans too early, they would abandon and try again at a later time meaning there wouldn’t be any way for me to stop it. Instead, I would have to make everything happen within a month or so of the actual event. This would at least make it so everything would fall apart without giving them time to either gather replacements or just delay the act.

  Once I had received the return correspondence from the flight center confirming my acceptance, I was given the date of June 28th to begin the course. This sounded right from what I remember of the men’s movements. Late June should be when everything finally begins.

  Next, we looked around for a place for me to stay. Keiko, in her infinite greatness, had been saving money ever since I moved in and insisted that I help her out with bills. Due to the significantly higher income she has compared to my measly pay, she had a hefty stash of money saved. She insisted that I take a large portion of it, not only to pay for the schooling, but also to keep a roof over my head—one that wasn’t the roof of my car—and funds for necessities until I was able to get myself a job.

  She managed to find me a place to live at 4841 Pompano St, a nice neighborhood on the south end of Venice. By the end of the month, I had everything arranged for my temporary stay in Florida. I agreed to let her travel down there with me and fly back to New York that Sunday. It would be our first real road trip together since we had never really traveled out of the city itself. There was so much already there for us, there was never really any need to leave. The city had everything we could have wanted. Neither of us were the outdoorsy type, so camping or anything outside of the city was never on the agenda.

  The plan now was to leave a week before the flight training officially started and take our time driving down there. Both of us wanted to spend a day in DC, taking in some of the sights and checking out the museums. The rest of the time would be spent in Venice Florida, just the two of us. Once she got on her flight back to New York, my mission would officially start.

  In the first week of June, I broke the news to Ian and Pops at the pizzeria. I never expected to form any tight friendships during my stay but found that I had two of my closest friends right here. I never really allowed anyone to know me on a personal level back home. People like Jake were my friends at the gas station I worked at, but outside of work, we were just two random people who might wave or say hi to each other. But here in New York, these people were as close to family as someone could get.

  Keiko and I frequently h
ad dinner at Pops’ house. Ian on more than one occasion came up to our apartment and hung out with us or even sometimes brought us a fresh pizza just because he wanted to. I mourning the fact that I was going to be away from Keiko for so long, but I was also going to miss working at the pizzeria. But just like someone you think of as family, they were more than supportive and understanding.

  Just like a loyal employee should, I gave an official two weeks notice to let them know ahead of time that I would be leaving. When I arrived that Monday, I was feeling somewhat crestfallen in having to deliver what I considered would be bad news. I didn’t really want to leave, but I had no choice. Not if I wanted a place where Keiko could live with me and we could grow old together.

  “Hey, there, m’boy,” Pops said when I walked in the employee entrance.

  “Hey, pops. Can I have a word with you?” I whispered to him.

  “Sure thing.” He signaled for me to follow him into his office. “What’s on ya mind?”

  “Well, I came to tell you that I am going to be leaving in a couple weeks. Figured I would give you my official two weeks.” I said, looking down to avoid eye contact.

  “Well, well. Leavin’ huh? You ain’t goin’ to make pizzas for someone else now are ya?”

  “No, I’m going to train to be a pilot. The school is in Florida, so I will be leaving for a while.”

  “I’m just messin’ with ya, m’boy. I am sad to see you go, but it sounds like you are off to bigger and better things. I am happy for ya.” He said giving me a pat on the shoulder.

  “Thanks Pops. I am really going to miss you guys.” I said finally making eye contact with him.

  “We are gonna miss you too. What about your lady? Is she gonna go wit’ you down there?”

  “Ah, no. She is going to stay here. She has a good job. And I will be back once I finish with the schooling. You think you guys could keep an eye out for her? She has had a few run-ins with some less than reputable people around here, and I worry about her.” I pleaded to him.

  “Of course, m’boy. She is one of us. We will make sure she has nothing but the best.”

  “Thanks pops. Really, thank you. She is one in a million, and I want to make sure she never has to worry about a thing.”

  “No worries. We have it all covered for you.” He put his arm around my shoulders, and we walked out into the kitchen where Ian was getting everything prepped for the day.

  “Yo Ian, Stan here is gonna be a pilot! He’s gonna be leavin’ us in a couple weeks.”

  “Seriously? Damn, man. Way to bum a guy out.” He said after setting down what he had in his hands.

  “Sorry, I wanted to break the news to you guys easily, but I guess there really isn’t a way to,” I said trying to lighten the mood.

  “Hey, no worries, man. You are just doing what you want, right? I’m happy for ya. It’s gonna suck trying to break a new guy in to replace ya. I’ve seen a lot of weirdos come and go.”

  “You are one to talk, Ian!” Pops said, smacking Ian on the shoulder.

  “Hey, give a guy a break! I’ve stuck around, ain’t I?” He wailed back.

  “Yeah, yeah you have. You both are good guys. Now, what do you say we get the day started? Only got two more weeks with Stan here. Let’s have a good time.” Pops said signaling for us to get to work.

  I knew that if anyone could make sure Keiko was taken care of it was these two. I always had to remind myself that she must have been just fine in the original timeline since she was still around when the planes hit. I just didn’t know how much my involvement in their lives had altered things. I was willing to bet that old Mr. Winkle probably still had his testicles intact at this point. Then again, maybe he didn’t. I didn’t want to think about what may have happened when I was not around. That would just open up a whole can of worms of what-ifs that could drive a person insane if one ponders them long enough.

  Instead, I just made the best of the remaining weeks until my imminent departure. Ian and I had a blast on the nights it was just the two of us. The nights Pops was around, we joked around and teased each other and just had a great time working. In the end, it made those two weeks go by faster than I would have wanted.

  Keiko and I tried to spend as much time together as we could. We visited bookstores and arcades and took trips to parts of the city we didn’t really travel to very often. I even brought her to a concert with me in Brooklyn which she seemed to really enjoy. I was the happiest I had ever been and was more than proud to show off my woman. I think I might have turned her on to the world of metal music.

  On my last day at the pizzeria, Pops closed the place early so just the four of us, Pops, Ian, Keiko, and me could have the place to ourselves. Pops made his own special recipe pizza for all of us to devour. I don’t know why he never put it on the menu. I guess it was a recipe that he kept all to himself for special occasions. I suggested he try selling it, but he just batted his hand in the air and said ‘no way.’ This was his recipe and his only. It was a shame because it was probably the best pizza I have ever had in my life. He would have made a killing on it.

  When we finally closed up, I gave both Ian and Pops big bear hugs and assured them that I would be back. I was told that I would always have a place here if I needed it. I couldn’t help but tear up as I had never had someone be so kind to me. They wanted me there with them and would always have a place for me. It felt good to finally have close friends, people I could rely on if the time ever came.

  Keiko and I had everything packed for the trip to Florida. I made sure my car was tuned up and had fresh oil and a filter and even checked the alignment and had the wheels rotated. All that was left was for us to spend our last night together in our tiny studio apartment. We would be leaving first thing in the morning to head south. Keiko was excited for the trip as it would be a new experience for her. For me, it took all that I had to keep my anxiety from showing. The next year was going to be difficult for me. And whether or not I was prepared, I had a mission to fulfill. I decided that I would wake up extra early in the morning and hit the gym one more time before finally leaving to see what the future had in store for me.

  Chapter 16

  Sunrise in the city is quite a sight. Depending on what part of Manhattan you are, you may either see the sun just as it rises above the horizon, or you may get to see it as it peeks between the high-rises. For me, I watched the sun rise between blocks of brick and mortar office and apartment buildings just down Spring St. It was a clear day, so the sun was beaming off the old hand-worn fire escapes that dot nearly every building like a game of Chutes & Ladders.

  Keiko was still sleeping in the apartment when I left to visit the gym one last time. I tried to wake up and get dressed in my gym attire quietly, but I still managed to stir her from her deep sleep. Before leaving, I kissed her on the forehead and told her to rest and that I would be back in a little while. That seemed to put her right back into her peaceful slumber.

  When I arrived at the gym, there were quite a few other people in there. I walked in with the mindset that I was about to undertake one of the most difficult and mentally draining tasks I probably ever would in my life. This wasn’t something that I would spend a couple days or weeks doing. I would have to put on a charade for over a year with men who I knew were only here to murder as many people as they possibly could. I had to be in tip top shape, at least mentally.

  By this time I had been going to the gym two to three days a week since last November. I may not have changed much physically in bulk, but my body was much more toned. Not only did this make me feel better about myself but it made nights where Keiko was feeling frisky all the more enjoyable.

  I did my usual rounds of jogging on the treadmill, lifting weights, and jump rope for cardio. I was not here to sculpt myself into the next Mr. Universe. I just wanted to keep myself as healthy as I could. Plus, over the past few months, I ate a lot of pizza. Not exactly the healthiest of menu items, but free food is usually hard to turn down. This prev
ented me from ballooning out to twice my size.

  My usual workout only lasted around an hour. I could probably go longer, but I never felt the need. I worked up quite a sweat after an hour of workout, and I didn’t want to completely exhaust myself. After all, we had a long drive ahead of us. Not only driving, but plenty of stops and side trips to keep the trip from feeling monotonous.

  I headed back into Manhattan and parked at the pizzeria. It was still quite early in the morning, so my car was still the only one parked there. When I opened the door to walk inside the apartment, Keiko was sitting in the chair in just a robe with nothing else underneath. Her hair wasn’t wet so she must have been getting ready to take a shower.

  “Well, hello you sexy, sweaty man.” She winked at me as I walked through the door.

  “Now that is what I call a warm welcome!” I said as I closed the door and locked it.

  “Looks like I had everything timed perfectly. I was just getting ready to hop in the shower. Care to join me?” She got up and dropped her robe on the floor, revealing a perfect, naked body.

  “What a silly question…” I replied.

  I walked over to her and held her petite body in mine. She jumped up in my arms, and I planted both of my hands on her small but perfectly round ass cheeks. She wrapped her legs around my waist and began kissing me aggressively. I could only reply back with equal aggressiveness.

  “Hurry and get your clothes off. Let’s wash each other from head to toe.” She was getting antsy for the shower.

  “Well you can’t stand there naked in front of me and expect me not to want to pounce on you.”

  I quickly disrobed and followed her in the shower. We spent most of the time exploring each other’s bodies and playfully experimenting with how much pleasure we could provide each other. Eventually, once we had exhausted ourselves of our teenage hormone driven excitement, we lathered the other with soapy suds and finished the humdrum task of washing.