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RATING: G
This is a tribute to our international friends and neighbors following September 11, 2001. Initially posted to the SentinelAngst List, then included in the award-winning tribute zine "Mourning."
Feedback is always welcome.
Family In Our Hearts
by
Alberte
Family In Our Hearts Jim tiredly tossed his keys toward the
basket by the door
Jim tiredly tossed his keys toward the basket by the door, not caring whether
they landed in it or not, and closed the loft door behind him. His leather
jacket dropped onto its usual hook, and his feet moved by their own accord into
the kitchen. He snagged the last cold beer from the refrigerator shelf,
then shuffled into the living room and plopped down onto the sofa. The TV
remote was found hiding between the cushions, and he clicked the TV on.
Tired of the daily, depressing news, he opted for a Canadian station instead.
Thank goodness for cable. He took a deep pull at the bottle.
Ever since the stunning events of September 11 last week, all of Cascade PD had
been on extra shifts. City and county emergency response plans had been
reviewed and updated, and heightened security was now deemed necessary for state
and federal buildings, as well as many public events. Many groups and
individuals had called CPD, asking for support and consultation in upgrading
their security arrangements. Jim had personally spent many extra hours
comforting and consoling frightened friends and neighbors. As tired as he
was, he knew that he would willingly be back at it after a good night's sleep.
It was little enough, compared to the efforts of police and firefighters in New
York City.
Retrieving the remote from where he had dropped it on the seat cushion beside
him, he turned up the volume on the TV. As much as he would hate to admit
it, the loft was too quiet without his energetic roommate there.
Blair had planned to spend a weekend with friends in Vancouver, British
Columbia for months, and had only followed through with his plans after much
encouragement from Jim. At least it was a drivable distance and he didn't
have to fly, Jim mused, unable to resist nervous thoughts about taking to the
air even though he knew that security had been greatly heightened at the
airports.
Barely paying attention to the TV screen, he suddenly sat up, thinking that he'd
caught a glimpse of a recognizable figure in the background of the scene being
shown on the Vancouver TV station. Uniformed
police officers and firefighters were shown standing on street corners,
holding up bins and boots, some with American flags pasted on the side.
Almost everyone who walked by slowed to dig into their purses or pockets,
tossing their contributions in and accepting handshakes in return.
He began to listen in.
"...local firefighters will be at the Coquitlam Mall throughout the
weekend, accepting donations for New York 9-11 relief efforts, and city police
will be on downtown street corners as well. A couple of local businesses,
Sears and Eatons, will allow you to charge your contributions to those credit
cards. So far, we estimate that approximately $150,000 has been raised in
the Vancouver metropolitan area, and over $250,000 in British Columbia so
far..."
Even as he listened, he saw a familiar man in a Cascade PD t-shirt with a red,
white and blue scarf wrapped around his head, approaching police officers on a
street corner in downtown Vancouver. He handed each of them cup of coffee and a
sandwich from a large cardboard box, shaking hands with each and garnering an
occasional hug from them in return.
Jim leaned back against the sofa with a grin. It did his cynical heart
good to see brothers in blue, even across the border, hanging together in times
of crisis. And Blair...even "on vacation," Blair would find a
way to contribute, in his own unique way.
He stood and walked over to the phone, pressing the buttons that would speed
dial Blair's cell phone. Blair's voice would be a welcome interruption to
the uncomfortable quiet that surrounded him.
* * * * * * * * * *
Only Jim and Blair's involvement in this snippet is fiction.
Many thanks to our friends and neighbors in Canada and around the world, for
opening your hearts and your wallets to aid us in these dark days. You are
truly family of the heart.
THE END
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