Eight on Nine Eleven

I will always remember the day of my 8th birthday. Mum had driven me to dad’s so I could spend my birthday with him. Mum had thrown me a little party the afternoon before with two of my school-friends. I was the happiest when she told me I would see dad on my birthday. My parents had been divorced for two years then and I didn’t see dad as often as I wanted to. He had found a job in New-York and mum and I still lived in our house in Philadelphia. Mum didn’t mind driving me to dad’s even though it was more than one-hour drive. Dad always had a busy schedule. Mum always told me he was a trader but I didn’t understand what exactly he was doing. I never understood why I couldn’t see him at least once a week. Sometimes I even waited a month until I could visit him but it was always too short. Dad had a small apartment with two rooms: a living-room and a bathroom. All the kitchen furniture was in the main room as well as his couch, his bed and the TV. I always thought it was cool. When I stayed there, he would build a tent above the couch with blankets that he would tuck in the curtain rod. And that tent was my bed. I felt like Robinson Crusoe or some other cool adventurer. That’s why I loved so much living with dad, he knew how to make everything fun. I liked living with mum because she’s a great mum, she took very good care of me even though she had a job. She cooked very nice meals and she was very loving. But she was stricter than dad. I wasn’t allowed to eat outside of the kitchen or walk with my shoes in the house, which was a bit annoying. As opposed to mum’s place, dad’s apartment was like an amusement park, it was small but I could do many things I didn’t usually do, like eating bread and chocolate in my fake tent. I knew I was going to have a great time with dad on my 8th birthday. 

Mum always stopped the car just in front of dad’s building. She didn’t care if there were other cars parked there, she just stopped on the road and switched on her hazard lights. She didn’t want me to walk alone, even for one minute or two. She waited until dad came to the car before leaving. She always made sure of the schedule with dad, asking when she was to pick me up the day after. This time dad told her that we would spend two entire days together, which made me super happy. I usually didn’t spend more than one day with him. I was so excited. I kissed mum goodbye and I jumped into dad’s arms. He was very glad to see me too. 

“Hey buddy! Happy birthday! How have you been?,” he asked, a big smile on his face.

“I missed you so much dad.” 

“Me too Dan, we’re going to have a great time together.”

“Do you have chocolate bars?” I asked, because my tummy was growling.

“Of course I have chocolate bars! But now I’m wondering what you’ve missed the most. Me or the chocolate?” 

“Both. But you even more.” 

Dad’s apartment was even more fun than what I remembered. Something had changed. The walls had been painted in cerulean blue, the couch was a new one and it looked more comfortable than the former one, there were plants and lamps in the room and dad’s books were not on the floor anymore but displayed on bookshelves. 

“Wow! This place is wicked!” I hurriedly said. 

“‘Wicked’? Is that a word you’ve learnt in school?” 

“No, it’s Tom who always says that,” I told him. “He has the coolest games. I love going to his home to play video games.” 

“Do you like video games?” Dad asked naively. 

“Of course, who doesn’t like video games?” 

“I have a friend who has a giant screen at home and we always play games on his Playstation. Would you like us to try to go and see him?” 

“That would be wicked!” I said. 

Dad laughed. He told me that we would try to call his friend later to see if he was available. His friend was one of his colleagues. He told me about the place where he worked. It was one of the two tallest towers in New York and he showed me pictures on his phone of the view he had from his office. I began to envy him. I thought I would love to work in that kind of place when I am an adult. But then he told I had no reason to envy his situation. He explained that he worked a lot, sometimes day and night. He would love to spend more time with me but he couldn’t. He said he would do this job one or two more years and then quit. 

“Do you make a lot of money?” I bluntly asked him. 

“You shouldn’t wonder those kind of things at your age, buddy,” he answered. 

“I just wonder because Tom told me that his father worked a lot, sometimes days and nights and he earned nothing.”

“That’s not the case with me. I can buy loads of chocolate bars, see?” he said, opening his cupboard to take out my favourite chocolate bars. 

We ate the bars even though it was nearly noon. I would never be able to eat chocolate before noon with mum. I enjoyed that moment to the fullest. Every bit of chocolate I was eating was precious. It would always be the chocolate bar I ate before noon. Dad called his friend on the phone to ask him if he could come along with me in the afternoon.

“Oh no, that damn system…” I heard him say on the phone. “Yes… Of course… No, it’s just you know, I wanted to spend some time with my son today. It’s his birthday… Yes, ok… No, no, that’s fine, I’ll come…”

I knew something was wrong. I just hoped he was not going to drop me home with mum, I wanted to spend that day with him. 

“Alright, Dan. Change of plans. We’re not going to my friend’s house but to my workplace. Something happened there and I need to fix it. It won’t take a long time, I promise.”

“Okay, that’s okay.” I said. I was so happy he was not giving up on me. 

On the road to his workplace, I sensed something weird. I felt like I had to enjoy every single moment I spent with dad. I couldn’t really explain why. There are times like that in life when you are aware of things. I think it was the first time I had that sensation. 

When we arrived, dad introduced me to his colleagues and to his friend he mentioned before, the geek one. He was exactly like I imagined, wearing round glasses and an unkempt bush of hair on the top of his head. I didn’t imagine him wearing a shirt though. 

“Dan, this is Lee, the friend I talked about earlier,” Dad said. 

“Hi!” I said.

“Hello Danny,” Lee said. “It is a great pleasure to meet you. Your dad can’t stop talking about you, it’s like we already know each other.” 

“Did he say I liked playing video games, just like you?” 

“Haha no,” he said. “But he should have! I hope he told you I was the greatest Mario Kart player on the planet?” Lee asked. 

“No he didn’t. But I think it’s because he knows I am the best Mario Kart player.” I answered.

“I like that kid,” he said to my dad, laughing. 

Then Dad showed me his office. It was full of other people dad didn’t seem to know. Dad and Lee worked in the same area but dad’s desk was the best one. It was next to the window and he could work with a stupendous view. He told me I could use his laptop while he was trying to fix the problem Lee was encountering. He told me to not use the bigger computer as there were full of important stuff. His laptop seemed entertaining enough to me, I could play Pinball and Mahjong on it. The place was noisy, everyone kept answering the phone and typing on their computer. It looked like a factory but the view was better than in a factory. And the workers’ outfits were not blue dungarees but white shirts and black trousers. While dad was working on Lee’s computer, Lee came to see me to make sure I was fine. He seemed like a very nice guy, I was happy dad had good friends. 

“Hey Dan, your dad told me you didn’t have lunch yet. There is a great place downstairs where they sell kebabs. Would you like me to bring a sandwich for you?” 

“That would be great, thank you Lee,” I said, my tummy speaking for me. 

He came back a few minutes later with a sandwich that looked really great. It was super greasy, there was a lot of mayonnaise between the two slices of bread. I thanked Lee and bit unhesitatingly into it. I never had a sandwich as tasty as this one in my life. I ate it so fast that I finished it before Lee. 

“You were hungry, big boy!” Lee said. “Even your dad doesn’t eat as fast as you do.” 

“Yes, I like food.” I said, a bit ashamed of myself.

“Who doesn’t?” he answered. “Do you like burritos?”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“Amazing! Your dad accepted to come to my house this evening to play video games and I thought I could make burritos. You can try them and tell me what you think?” 

“Yes, thank you very much Lee,” I said, exciting to go there. I was so looking forward to winning the games. I was pretty sure my dad wasn’t as good at Mario Kart as I was. Mum didn’t really know that I played video games at Tom’s. She thought we were doing our homework, which was a big fat lie. I think she wouldn’t agree. I had the right to watch TV only 30 minutes a day, usually cartoons in the morning when I ate breakfast. She always said TV was stultifying and if I wanted to be a clever boy, I should read more than watch TV. I didn’t really like reading, except for comics. Mum also accepted to drive me to the cinema sometimes but it had to be a film she had chosen. It usually was documentary films or children movies. I would have killed to watch the Fast and Furious film but she didn’t want me to go, even with Tom and his mum. 

When dad was finished with fixing the problem on Lee’s computer, he took me to an ice cream parlour. I chose a chocolate ice-cream as it was my favourite flavour and dad chose a pineapple ice-cream, which I thought was a weird choice. He talked about his friendship with Lee, he seemed to be very fond of him. Lee was from Minnesota but he chose to move to New York when he was only seventeen because he didn’t get along with his family. 

“Why didn’t they get along?” I asked dad.

Dad seemed to take care of the answer he was going to give. 

“I suppose because he is kind of different.” He said, sadly. “Different people are not accepted by some other people.” 

I wanted to ask why but I preferred to say nothing. Maybe Lee was different because he was a fan of video games. 

When we went back home after the ice-cream, dad asked if I was having a nice time. I think he didn’t realise how happy I was to spend my birthday with him. 

“I would like to live here every day!” I told him. 

“Don’t say that, Dan,” he said. “You would miss your mum. And you would be bored here, I only cook pasta and I don’t even have a Gameboy… And also mum would miss you too.” 

“Yes, you’re right. Mum would miss me and I would miss her.” I said. “I would love to live with the both of you.” 

Dad smiled sadly but never answered.

“Alright, buddy.” He said after a long silence. “What do you say to getting ready to go to Lee’s?” 

We got ready, I was so excited. It was only a five-minute walk to Lee’s place and dad let me sit on his shoulders while he walked. 

“Hello boys!” Lee said when we were at his doorstep. He still had that big smile on his face that I will never forget.

We spent the evening talking about the video games I liked to play, about what I learnt in school, the meals I enjoyed the most and my friends. The conversation revolved around me and it made me feel special. I think it was because it was my birthday. Dad and Lee didn’t really talk to each other but I felt like they wanted to. They probably didn’t because I was the birthday boy. The burritos Lee prepared were delicious. He would never know it but thanks to that day, burritos became my favourite meal. The 10th of September 2001 would remain my favourite day forever, because it was so special. After the meal, we played video games like Dad and Lee promised. I didn’t win a lot of games as Lee was really good, he certainly had a lot of training. But he let me win a game or two, pretending he was a poorer player than me. That’s what I liked about him, he was genuinely nice. 

We went home after what was the greatest day of my life. I slept so well on the couch with the tent above me. The covers were soft. I listened to dad’s snoring, everything was so peaceful.

I woke up the morning after smelling eggs and bacon Dad was cooking.

“That smells delicious,” I told him.

“I’m glad, Danny. There’s nothing better in the morning than eggs and bacon.” 

“What are the plans today?” I asked excitedly.

“It should be your call. Today I am all yours. Where would you like to go?” 

I decided that we would go visiting the Statue of Liberty. I had been to New York many times and I never saw it. My schoolteacher once told me it was a great chance to have a dad living in New York, it was a pity I never visited the Statue of Liberty.

It was 8.40am when we went out of dad’s house. We were walking through City Hall Park when we heard a deafening noise. I thought it was the end of the world, we began to hear people shouting and crying. I will still remember that moment. The two towers I had been in the day before were in flames. I saw dad panicking and trying to call a number. I knew at that moment that Lee was in there. Dad managed to have him on the phone. He could barely speak to me. I knew he was holding back his tears. I was beginning to freak out, I didn’t want Lee to die. He had been so nice with me, and dad seemed to be happy around him. I suddenly wanted to cry but I didn’t. I was so shocked that I wasn’t able to express anything. I felt the urge to puke. Dad was going to lose his best friend and we couldn’t do anything. We stayed there and looked at the mess. Dad hurried back home with me. He was holding my hand, rubbing my thumb with his thumb in a way that made me feel safe. I admire his courage for not having broken down in front of me. When we reached his apartment, he put the TV on but couldn’t find a channel on which they didn’t talk about the twin towers. He finally switched it off and asked me if I wanted to read a comic. I said yes and chose one book of his comics collection. While I was reading, he discreetly disappeared in the hallway to make a phone call. I know it because I couldn’t help snooping around. I wanted to know if Lee was alive. I heard the phone rings through the door. No one was answering. I heard my dad sobbing. I will always remember that moment. I had never heard my dad crying in my life until then. I walked back to the couch and read my book. It took him a few minutes to get back in the flat. I knew Lee was dead. 

This event brought me closer to my dad. I knew him more personally after it. Dad had changed, he was not the same man anymore. He was still as happy to see me every time we spent time together but I knew something was missing in his life. He stopped being a trader and I was seeing him more often. We even took time to visit the Statue of Liberty, which made my schoolteacher proud of me. I also began to read more, which made my mum proud of me. I especially read books about the event. But it’s not in books that I have learnt the most important things. What I’ve learnt through this sad episode is how losing a friend can be challenging. The most important in life is to make the most of it and to enjoy every single moment spent with our loved ones.