Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11

by Mitchell Zuckoff

The boy had inherited his mother’s oversized smile, but it was nowhere in sight. John led him upstairs. Father and son lay down on John and Tara’s king-sized bed, atop the wedding quilt with interlocking rings made by Tara’s aunt. “I need to talk to you about something,”8 John told Colin. John opened a pack of crayons, laid out two sheets of paper, and drew an image of a brown-haired woman with angel wings. Then he helped Colin to sketch his own picture of a “mommy angel.” “There was an accident,” John said, fighting sobs. “Your mommy is in heaven and she won’t be coming back. She’s up in heaven and she’s an angel now.” Weeks earlier, Tara had used similar words to help Colin understand why he had only one grandmother. Tara wasn’t sure she’d been clear. Now, as John fell silent, Colin erupted in sobs. He’d understood his mother after all. On the other side of the door, heartbroken, Julie listened to Colin wail for an hour as John tried to comfort him. Finally Colin fell asleep, nestled against his father, on his parents’ wedding quilt. Later, John placed Tara’s plush robe in Nora’s crib so she’d fall asleep to her mother’s scent.