"Second Chance"

 

“Second Chance”

            This is a story that happens on the tragic morning of September 11th, 2001.

            But, unlike most 9/11 stories, this one begins on two different mornings in two separate realities of Steve Robins, a 24-year-old office worker at the World Trade Center.

            In one reality, Steve’s desk job is on the 70th floor of the North Tower.

            In the other, Steve’s desk job is on the 60th floor of the South Tower.

            Both Steves will experience events on their mornings of September 11th that will change each of their lives forever.

STEVE 1 WTC

            This Steve arrived to work an hour late. His taxicab ran into heavy traffic, forcing him to take the subway – something that he always despised doing ever since that incident with the ‘floor sandwich’ when he was seven. Unfortunately, the train ended up stalling for half an hour.

            His morning only got worse once he made it to the North Tower.

            Just as he was able to settle down at his desk, Charlie (his 50-year-old supervisor) delivered some news that Steve hadn’t anticipated to hear: “We’re lettin’ ya go, Steven.” He knew it was serious when Charlie addressed him by his whole name.

            “You gotta be kidding me!” Steve retorted; his voice noticeably aggressive. “Do you have any idea how hard I’ve worked my butt off in the last two months?!”

            Charlie put his hands up innocently. “It wasn’t my call, Steven.”

            “Then whose was it, huh?!” Steve slammed his fist down on his desk. “Bring one of those bigwigs down here, so they can fire me right to my face!” He was creating a scene right there in the bullpen, in front of all his coworkers, some of whom stopped what they were doing to watch. Charlie didn’t allow it to proceed any further, signaling for security to escort Steve out of the building, without his personal items.

            Once outside, about a few blocks from the building, Steve mustered the courage to call Jenny, his girlfriend. “Hey, babe. Something happened at work today, and it ain’t good news.” He heard Jenny say something on the other line, but it was suddenly drowned out by the roar of jet engines.

            They sounded extremely close, which didn’t make much sense to Steve, as LaGuardia – the nearest airport – was half an hour away. Surely, whatever commercial planes that had taken off would be over a thousand miles in the air. This one sounded way closer.

            Steve looked up just in time to see the plane fly right into the North Tower – the very building he was in no less than a few minutes ago.

            The time was 8:46a.m.

STEVE 2 WTC

            This Steve arrived to work a whole hour early. He had enough time to stop and get some donuts to share with his friends at the office, including Charlie. The morning only got better when Charlie told him, “Fantastic news, Steve!” It was very rare when he condensed his name like that, which meant this really would be fantastic news. “The higher-ups have spoken, and you’re being promoted to an executive level, as of today.”

            There was a huge round of applause across the bullpen.

            Steve was in complete awe, almost speechless. “I…I don’t know what to say. I’ve only worked here for under two months.”

            “And it’s a rare feat for someone your age,” Charlie noted. “Congratulations.”

            Charlie’s congrats was one of several Steve got. His coworkers showered him with handshakes, fist bumps, hugs, and kisses. Overwhelmed, he went to the roof of the South Tower, as soon as he was able to get some time to reflect on the spectacular promotion. He just had to call Jenny. “Babe! You aren’t gonna believe what just happened!”

            The call lasted for twenty blissful minutes before Steve had to save some of the bliss for later that evening. In fact, after hanging up, he made sure to check his wristwatch for the time…

            9:03a.m.

            Plenty of time to schedule a dinner at Delmonico’s for himself and Jenny that evening. Heck, with things looking up so well, he just might work up the courage to propose to her after dating for three months.

            Heading back inside, he heard a commercial plane flying several feet overheard.

            Why not throw in a vacation while he’s at it.

STEVE 1 WTC

            Three years had passed, and Steve did not have the best of luck holding a steady job since 9/11. He had gone through fifty of them since that day. After his latest attempt, he returned to his cruddy, roach-infested apartment, only to be welcomed by a ticked-off Jenny. Somehow, she no longer looked very appealing to him these days, dressing as if she was prostituting herself for extra cash (and she very well could have been).

            “Another one bites the dust, huh?” She groaned. “That is it, Steve! I’ve put up with this for as long as I could!”

            “You think I don’t know that, babe?!” He shouted back.

            “Enough with the ‘babe’! WE ARE DONE!”

            He could see it in her oval, chocolate-brown eyes – bloodshot from a lack of sleep or perhaps drugs – that she was serious this time. “Babe…I mean, Jenny…c’mon.” His tone was softer than it had been in a long time with her; clearly, he was ready to beg.

            “No, Steven – it’s over! You’re an incompetent moron who lacks commitment!”

            Steve’s right eye twitched. “Incompetent moron?!” He parroted her words with vitriol, his soft tone now gone. “HOW’S THIS FOR COMMITMENT!!!” Without thinking, he violently gripped her shoulders; he wasn’t entirely sure what he was trying to prove with this gesture; all he could think about was hurting her.

            Jenny struggled to fight out of it. She pushed at his chest with all her might.

            This managed to get herself free, but the amount of force she used sent her reeling back…right out through the open window of their 40-story apartment.

            Jenny died instantly when her body hit the pavement below.

            Steve was in absolute shock, not able to process what just happened until moments later when he was arrested and escorted out of the building by the NYPD. All the neighbors stood out in the hall to witness his arrest; undoubtedly, one of them called the police when they heard him and Jenny arguing. It wasn’t exactly a secret; with all the previous times they went back-and-forth. But this time was the worst of them all.

            On his way to the police station, he overheard on the squad car radio the breaking news: George W. Bush had won his second term as President of the United States.

STEVE 2 WTC

            9/11 of 2001 may have been just an ordinary day for the rest of the world, but for Steve, it was the beginning of a long and prosperous journey. Over the last three years, he moved up in the world with Jenny, both of them living in a wealthy penthouse. They now had two boys, David and Caden.

            On the anniversary of his promotion, he celebrated with a new position as CEO of his own company (‘Robins Inc.’), having invested thousands into trade during what the worldwide media had cited as a flourishing era in the stock market.

            During his party, he saw the Election Day results on the news:

            John Kerry had won in a landslide against George W. Bush.

            The underdog Democratic senator was now the 44th President of the United States.

            And that wasn’t the only surprising news of the day: Jenny was pregnant with their third child – a girl.

STEVE 1 WTC

            After ten years in prison, 37-year-old Steve was released on parole.

            Free as he may have been physically, he still felt like a prisoner to his own life. He saw no place for himself in the outside world, except for the nearest bar to drown himself at the bottom of a bottle. He knew of one that he used to go to in Lower Manhattan, between jobs.

            On his fourth shot of tequila, he heard a familiar voice call to him, “Steven?!”

            Through his hazed vision, he saw a 60-year-old paraplegic wheeling himself up to the bar. When he was able to focus his drunken eyes on the poor soul, Steve couldn’t believe that he recognized him. “Charlie?!”

            “I figured you’d know who I was, soon as you were able to look at the face and not the…uh…” Charlie gestured to his paralyzed legs, clad in a pair of faded blue jeans.

            He looked much skinner than Steve remembered.

            No longer was he that clean-shaven man that had Steve removed from the North Tower, minutes before it collapsed.

            He now had hair that was as long and gray as his beard, styled in a ponytail.

            Steve learned of how Charlie ended up paraplegic – he was barely out of the building when the whole thing came down on him. He thought he was dead but was grateful to be alive long enough for the first responders to find him. As a result, he suffered a life-changing spinal injury, which took him seven years to adjust.

            “Thankfully, I found Second Chance,” he concluded his story.

            Steve frowned. “Second Chance? What’s that?”

            “A shelter on 5th and Main for the homeless and so many others affected by the tragedy of 9/11. There’s more out there than the world knows, and I see a lot of them in Second Chance – lost souls with no purpose in the world.”

            Steve felt a heaviness in his heart. “They got any room for one more lost soul?”

STEVE 2 WTC

            Robins Inc. throve on waves of success in the last ten years, particularly with special endorsement from President Barack Obama. But, as the company saw much financial achievement, its CEO found his personal life dulled. Steve’s relationship with his wife and four children was strained so much that he failed to attend David and Caden’s graduations.

            It came to a head the day that Jenny decided to stop by his office and confront him on the issue. “You’re losing us, Steven.” Despite how upset she was, she looked gorgeous in that fuchsia-colored, flutter-sleeved gown that he bought for her on their eighth anniversary. Her olive skin had gotten a bit paler in recent years.

            “It’s been a long time since you’ve called me ‘Steven’,” Steve scoffed.

            “Are you not listening to me?!” Her voice raised; thankfully, the walls of his office were soundproof. “This company you’ve built is destroying your family!”

            “This company I’ve built is the reason we have a family!” Steve countered. “What do you want me to do? Give it all up?!”

            Jenny tried to calm herself before she said anything she would deeply regret. “No, Steve. I…I only want you to make time for your family…or else you’ll lose the one legacy that should matter in your life.”

            For the first time, Steve didn’t know what to do.

STEVE 1 WTC

            For the first time, Steve felt like a big success.

            Working as a volunteer at Second Chance was the best thing that ever happened to him. He helped those who were as lost as he once was find their purpose again, setting many off on new ventures – business and personal.

            And then 2020 came…and so did the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

            Second Chance was shut down in fear of contagion.

            Even worse, Charlie was tested positive for the virus and died no less than a week later, with none of his family or friends (including Steve) able to be with him in his last moments.

            Falling back into depression and feeling as if everything in his life from the day of 9/11 had been stolen from him, Steve saw no other solution than to throw himself off the roof of where it all started – the Freedom Tower, formerly the North Tower.

STEVE 2 WTC

            Rather than return home after the heated argument with Jenny, Steve decided it best to go to the place where his new life started – the Second Tower, which had recently been renovated on 40th anniversary of the building’s completion. He almost didn’t recognize the interior, which was fresher and roomier than he remembered, feeling like the Waldorf Astoria. A lot of faces he didn’t recognize took up most of the office spaces, while a few old ones gave him warm welcomes.

            Unfortunately, he was in no mood for happy reunions.

            As soon as he reached the rooftop, he felt somewhat calmer.

            He figured breathing in the night air would level his mind, but he was still stressed about that last conversation with Jenny. Truly, he loved her and their children, but he didn’t know how he could let go of Robins Inc. without the fear of his empire collapsing from an unforeseeable catastrophe…just like the World Trade Center.

            Wait a minute. Where did that idea pop up from? Nothing happened to the WTC.

            Or did it?

            Suddenly, he found himself remembering things – horrible things – that he never experienced before. It was all like something out of a bad dream. Planes crashing into both the North and South Towers…the buildings themselves crumpling minutes apart from each other…people covered in debris and crying.

            Where was all this coming from?

            So deep into these random thoughts, Steve looked out from the edge of the South Tower, facing what he perceived to be the North. However, its structure looked vastly different than it did a second ago. It didn’t have the long, rectangular shape of its twin. It looked more angular along the top corners.

            On its rooftop was a haggard-looking man with long, salt-and-pepper hair and a matching beard. He was quite thin and frail in a loose, red flannel shirt and tattered jeans. He looked as if he was contemplating suicide.

STEVE 1 WTC

            Steve’s lips hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol before he came up to the roof of the Freedom Tower. And, somehow, he was seeing the South Tower as it would have looked if it never collapsed. It was the one thing that stopped him from jumping, in addition to the bizarre visions that randomly popped in his head.

            Visions of himself and Jenny, happily married with children…

            …his own company…

            …Charlie, alive and healthy, with his grandchildren…

            …a world free of depression and sickness.

            On the rooftop of that mysterious, renovated South Tower, he saw a man who looked all business with well-groomed hair (that may or may not have been dyed), a pressed suit, and a husky figure.

            If Steve didn’t know any better…

STEVE 2 WTC

            …he would think that man on the rooftop was himself!

            For that single fleeting moment across the barriers of reality, both Steves got a glimpse of each other’s lives like looking through a giant mirror. These glimpses ultimately shifted both men into new directions:

            Steve 1 WTC decided to pick up where he left off and become a full-time social worker, doing what he could to help those affected by tragedies like 9/11 and the COVID pandemic. He would also become something of an activist and humanitarian, starting his own nonprofit charity under the ‘Second Chance’ name and dedicating it to Charlie.

            Steve 2 WTC went on to sell Robins Inc. and retire at an early age, devoting all his time to his family. Remembering that day on his 9/11 when he saw the plane fly over the WTC, he took his family on that vacation he dreamt of for so long.