In memory of the 2981 victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, among them three Albanians: Frrok Camaj, Mon Gjonbalaj and Simon Dedvukaj
[Disastrous September, by the Albanian-American author, Skifter Këlliçi, takes place on two different days: May 10 and September 11, 2001. The novel tells the story of a well-known CNN reporter named Steve Ferguson, engaged to Jacqueline Cramer, a flight attendant based at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition, the novel explores the lives of four Albanians. Besim Istrefi, Rrok Camaj, and Marko Muzaka worked as window washers in the Twin Towers. Sokol Kama, a journalist and writer, works in security at Logan International Airport. On September 11, 2001 just a few days before Steve and Jacqueline’s wedding, two planes, bound for Los Angeles, depart from Boston. Terrorists hijack them and crash them into the Twin Towers in New York. The author, who worked at Logan International Airport during the attacks, offers a gripping account of the tragedy and shows how it could have been avoided.]
By SKIFTER KELLICI
[Translated from the Albanian by Carrie Hooper]
Marvan and Muhammad had spent more than two hours at the Terminal B security checkpoint and had paid close attention to everything that had happened, including Sokol’s conversation with the passenger. As they walked to the bus station, Marvan said, “As you can see, the trick is to get through security.”
“You’re right,” said Muhammad. “When I was in Hamburg, I saw a documentary about the Greek mythological creatures, Cilla and Charybdis. Have you heard of them?”
“No,” said Marvan.
“They were two sea monsters, and when ships sailed between them, they killed a lot of sailors. When we go through security, we have to stay calm so we don’t suffer the same fate they did.”
Marvan put a hand on Muhammad’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “When that blessed day comes, we’ll make it through security, and we won’t suffer the fate of those sailors. As I told you before, this is your most important job so far.”
“Thank you again for choosing me,” said Muhammad, looking at Marvan in awe.
Sokol said good-bye to Fatie. He felt even more tired after his conversations with Jay and Gary. He was especially offended when Gary told him many people, even Albanians, were willing to work for less than eight dollars an hour. Sokol had done that a few years ago when he had worked as a company manager, and he was willing to do it again. He needed a steady job. As he was about to get in his car, his cell phone rang.
“Hello, Sokol,” said Jacqueline’s pleasant voice. “I’m calling to invite you to our wedding on September 16 in New York. Guess who else is coming? Besim, his wife, and his son as well as Marko and his fiance. Besim even promised to sing a couple of old songs from Kosovo.”
“Thank you so much for inviting me,” said Sokol. “Imagine, a bunch of Albanians at an American wedding! How wonderful!”
Jacqueline’s call had made Sokol’s day.
PART II: September 11, 2001 around 7 AM
PART II: September 11, 2001 around 7 AMSeptember in Boston has all four seasons. On summery days, people look for shade. On spring-like days, they take long walks in the evergreen parks. There are rainy fall days with gray skies and windy days reminiscent of winter, the longest and coldest season.
The weather on Tuesday, September 11, 2001 was magnificent. The sky seemed to kiss the Atlantic Ocean. The streets of Boston teemed with people walking to work, children holding their mothers’ hands, teenagers going to school, tourists headed for Cape Cod, and travelers on their way to Logan Airport. In short, people went about their business unaware of what was about to happen.
At around 7 AM, Sokol and Jacqueline took their first coffee break. Jacqueline had just landed in Terminal B and was preparing to board the flight to Los Angeles. She wore her blue uniform. A small hat held some of her blond hair while the rest fell to her shoulders. The restaurant was crowded with passengers waiting for their flights. People talked and laughed loudly, but Sokol and Jacqueline managed to find a quiet area.
“Well, this is your last flight from this airport,” said Sokol.
“It feels strange,” said Jacqueline with a tremor in her voice. “I’m happy to be getting married, but I’m sad I won’t be working here anymore. I’ll miss my friends and colleagues: the pilots, the flight attendants, and the security personnel, especially you, Sokol. Do you remember the day we met?”
“How could I forget?”
“Four years ago, I took my test to become a flight attendant, and you took yours to become a security employee. We were so happy, well, you not so much. You had to give up your career as a journalist when you came here and ended up doing something totally different.”
“When I left Albania, I knew I had to start from scratch.”
“I can’t believe how much you’ve suffered. You told me about a music festival in the 1970’s. You did everything you could to make it a success, and the dictator, Enver Hoxha, called it a show influenced by western music. He attacked everyone who loved the arts, and many innocent people, including you, were arrested. How awful! I suspect you have many sad memories you haven’t shared with anyone.”
Sokol smiled bitterly.
“The early 1990’s saw the fall of Communism and the birth of democracy. After my release from prison, I started working for Albanian State Television again, but soon realized you can’t remove Communism from people’s minds. Some people made desperate attempts to revive it. Take 1997 for instance.”
“If I’m not mistaken, many riots broke out during that time,” said Jacqueline.
“That’s right. People lost millions of dollars in savings because of the thieves who ran our country.”
“And that’s when you decided to leave Albania?”
“Yes. Armed militias roamed the streets, burned houses and office buildings, stole everything they could, and killed people for disobeying their orders.”
“I remember seeing pictures on the news. I felt sorry for the innocent people who suffered, and I wanted them to come to Boston. I was fond of you. You worked hard even though you were not working in your profession.”
“Thank you for your kind words.”
“Last September, when Steve made his documentary for CNN about Logan Airport, and you stood next to him, I realized I still had feelings for you.”
A long line of passengers waited to go through the security checkpoint where Sokol worked. A few Arabs, among them Marvan and Muhammad, sat a little farther away, holding their bags and cups of tea.
“Brother Muhammad, do you remember what we talked about last May in this very terminal?” asked Marvan.
“How could I forget, Brother Marvan? As Osama bin Laden said in the Afghan forest, we will meet in Paradise. Abdul al Ramsey stood by his side.”
“I remember Osama and Abdul very well,” said Marvan, “though Abdul seemed quite distracted.”
Read: The Unseen – Poetry of an Albanian Exiled Poet
“He was very brave,” said Muhammad. “I saw him fight in a village near Kandahar. Most of the residents were against the Taliban. We took them by surprise around midnight, but they were tough, fought back, and killed a lot of our men. We weren’t so bad, either. Abdul was the bravest and killed anyone who got in his way, including women and children.”
Marvan hugged Muhammad, waved to some other Arabs, and left. Muhammad kept an eye on him until he disappeared into the crowd. Their conversation still ringing in his ears, he turned to Abdul, who looked pale.
“Are you all right?”
“Why are you asking me that? I’m fine!”
“You look pale.”
“I’m fine, never better.”
“It’s almost time to go through security. Hang
in there. You’re a brave warrior. Everything will go smoothly. Just remember bin
Laden’s words and Allah will protect you.”
Sokol and Jacqueline still sat in the restaurant. After a brief silence, Sokol said, “We will see each other again since I’m sure you’ll fly from New York to Boston quite often.”
“I’m going to request flights to Boston so I can see you. I also have quite a few cousins here.”
Suddenly, Jacqueline felt the sadness she had experienced years ago after the loss of her parents within a short period of time. Sokol immediately changed the subject.
“A CNN reporter came to our airport, stole your heart, and took you to New York,” he teased.
Jacqueline laughed.
“It didn’t happen quite that way. We met on a flight to San Francisco and had a short conversation.”
“Did you already love him then?”
Jacqueline blushed a little and laughed even harder.
“No. I was just surprised we had a well-known CNN reporter on board. When he came here to make his documentary, he recognized me and gave me a peck on the cheek.”
“That way, he could give you a real kiss later,” joked Sokol. “I’m sure you’ve kissed many times, but that kiss at the American Airlines dance was out of this world. Fatie and I were there, remember? They were playing Come Back in September.”
Jacqueline smiled. (Continues)
Click here for Part-1, Part-2, Part-3, Part-4, Part-5, Part-6,
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About the Author
Skifter Këllici was born in Tirana, Albania and received a diploma in history and literature from the University of Tirana. He worked as a journalist, scholar, and sportscaster on radio and television. He is the author of several novels and nonfiction books, including the children’s books, “Memories of the Old Neighborhood” and “In the Footsteps” as well as the historical novels, “Assassination in Paris”, “The Murderer with the White Hands”, and “September Disaster.” He wrote the screenplay for “In the Footsteps” which won a special prize at the International Children’s Film Festival in Giffoni, Italy in 1979. He has lived in Boston, Massachusetts since 1999.
About the Translator
Carrie Hooper was born and raised in Elmira, New York. She has been blind since birth. She received a B.A. in vocal performance from Mansfield University, Mansfield, Pennsylvania. She went on to receive an M.A. in German and an M.A. in vocal performance from the State University of New York at Buffalo. After completing her studies, she spent a year at the Royal University College of Music in Stockholm, Sweden as a Fulbright scholar. Carrie currently lives in Elmira, New York. She taught German, Italian, and Romanian at Elmira College. She has a passion for foreign languages and in addition to the languages mentioned above, she is also proficient in Swedish, Spanish, and Albanian. Music also plays an important role in Carrie’s life. She teaches voice and piano lessons, gives vocal concerts, plays the piano and organ at a church, and sings in a community chorus. Carrie not only loves music and languages, but also enjoys poetry. She has published three books: “Piktura në fjalë” (“Word Paintings”), a bilingual collection of poetry (Albanian-English), “My Life in My Words”, and “Away from Home.” She has also translated texts from Albanian and Romanian to English.
[The novel is being republished in episodes with the consent of the author]
