September 11th
Without Prejudice
The night of September 11th I was living on the Gold Coast, My Fiance, Neville was in Ireland on a 12 month hiatus and I was working in Mortgages in Surfers on the 13th Floor, I was an arrears officer and a good one and worked incredible hours but it was a great job. Had a great boss, Dave who taught me so much about finance. And that night I had to drive straight from work to Beenleigh to say Goodbye to my Aunty Betty who was returning to the UK and was a bit "Nattered" (Read nervous) and I went and had dinner with Jackie, my sister and Winston my brother in law and Aunty Bet and then I went upstairs to help her pack. She had the most massive suitcase I had ever seen and she gave me her old one, which I still have. She was nattered and I told her it would all be fine.
She always cries when we part and I try not to get upset, as she always thinks it's the last time, and she has had about 4 trips back since then. She was 80 then. Still sharp as a tack and wanting me to be happy, I was the single one and she worried about me.So with a kiss (Ihate long goodbyes), the Chinese believe it unlucky to wave someone out of sight, I was off and walked into my unit at 11 pm, another big day at the Office the next day, threw my keys on the table and slumped on the couch and flicked the TV on.
At first I couldn't work out what it was I was looking at. I thought a stunt plane from a movie had crashed into the first tower and when the second one came I jumped up, screaming, no. And I knew, just knew what I was looking at, evil, sheer evil and I wanted to ring up Yvette and get her to bring the boys up and we would run away, to the hills, Mount Tambourine most likely. And the next day it was chaos at work and we were stunned all day, I rung my Auntie Betty expecting her to a gibbering wreck. She answered on the mobile Jackie and Winn had bought her, she was in the Limo, they had hired to take her to the Airport and she was mightily impressed.
She answered the phone in a quavering voice, "Ellooooo" (Jackie said Auntie Bet answers a mobile like it's a hand grenade about to go off, six inches from her ear )
"Auntie bet, you OK?"
"Oooh, yes love, I'm int Limo, very flash!"
"Are you OK about flying ??"
It was the first time she had flown unaccompanied, Aunty Pat being with her other times, but the first time she came she was 70, had never flown anywhere in her life but had just lost her Hubby of 50 years in six weeks with stomach cancer.That was a rescue mission. he died nine months after Lauren died and I had seen them only 12 months previously.
That is a story for another time,
back to the limo.and me,
"So you will be fine then," I had my doubts
"ooh Yes love, BRITAIN is on red alert"
And the way she said it, I knew it was her War Voice coming through,
"Tony Blair will not allow anything to happen!"
And then,
"When your numbers oop, it's oop. lovie" and she was gone in a scream of static and when I rang back it was busy.
And that afternoon she flew, my 80 year old Auntie back to the UK, the day when they were pulling planes down out of the sky. And I thought of her that night, winging her way home and her total belief in Britain and Tony and numbers and I sent out a prayer and a kiss to her for her bravery and indominatable simple belief system.
And at work we had to do fire drill, down 26 flights of stairs in heels, badly lit and clutching each other, and you couldn't help but feel for the people in the Towers and I don't like high buildings any more, not at all. I remember "Towering Inferno" too well. And seriously at work we kept away from the windows, which was a shame as it was a wonderful view, The sea visible from my desk, every day, and at the back A Lawn Bowls Club with determined sun cancered, slip slop slap older Aussies bowled in the shimmering heat and I thought,
" Thank God I live in Australia", where the elderly were unconcerned, bowling and flying and sunbaking on the beach and the rest of us were scared to death
And Nev rang from Dublin and said "Come"
I told him of my terror and the 13th Floor thing and he laughed at my fear,
"Yes, I heard Osama Bin Ladens next target is Surfers Paradise", mocking my fear.
"Terrorism is a terrible thing, Janette, the trouble is you don't where it's coming from, the Irish have had it for ever"
And I realised he was right, the orange, the green , The Sihn Fein and Gerry Adams
and bombs, guns, dead soldiers, blown up bodies slewn against a fight against religion, the Proddies amd the Catholics
And 3 weeks later I flew to Ireland to meet up again and we were happy
...love Janette
The night of September 11th I was living on the Gold Coast, My Fiance, Neville was in Ireland on a 12 month hiatus and I was working in Mortgages in Surfers on the 13th Floor, I was an arrears officer and a good one and worked incredible hours but it was a great job. Had a great boss, Dave who taught me so much about finance. And that night I had to drive straight from work to Beenleigh to say Goodbye to my Aunty Betty who was returning to the UK and was a bit "Nattered" (Read nervous) and I went and had dinner with Jackie, my sister and Winston my brother in law and Aunty Bet and then I went upstairs to help her pack. She had the most massive suitcase I had ever seen and she gave me her old one, which I still have. She was nattered and I told her it would all be fine.
She always cries when we part and I try not to get upset, as she always thinks it's the last time, and she has had about 4 trips back since then. She was 80 then. Still sharp as a tack and wanting me to be happy, I was the single one and she worried about me.So with a kiss (Ihate long goodbyes), the Chinese believe it unlucky to wave someone out of sight, I was off and walked into my unit at 11 pm, another big day at the Office the next day, threw my keys on the table and slumped on the couch and flicked the TV on.
At first I couldn't work out what it was I was looking at. I thought a stunt plane from a movie had crashed into the first tower and when the second one came I jumped up, screaming, no. And I knew, just knew what I was looking at, evil, sheer evil and I wanted to ring up Yvette and get her to bring the boys up and we would run away, to the hills, Mount Tambourine most likely. And the next day it was chaos at work and we were stunned all day, I rung my Auntie Betty expecting her to a gibbering wreck. She answered on the mobile Jackie and Winn had bought her, she was in the Limo, they had hired to take her to the Airport and she was mightily impressed.
She answered the phone in a quavering voice, "Ellooooo" (Jackie said Auntie Bet answers a mobile like it's a hand grenade about to go off, six inches from her ear )
"Auntie bet, you OK?"
"Oooh, yes love, I'm int Limo, very flash!"
"Are you OK about flying ??"
It was the first time she had flown unaccompanied, Aunty Pat being with her other times, but the first time she came she was 70, had never flown anywhere in her life but had just lost her Hubby of 50 years in six weeks with stomach cancer.That was a rescue mission. he died nine months after Lauren died and I had seen them only 12 months previously.
That is a story for another time,
back to the limo.and me,
"So you will be fine then," I had my doubts
"ooh Yes love, BRITAIN is on red alert"
And the way she said it, I knew it was her War Voice coming through,
"Tony Blair will not allow anything to happen!"
And then,
"When your numbers oop, it's oop. lovie" and she was gone in a scream of static and when I rang back it was busy.
And that afternoon she flew, my 80 year old Auntie back to the UK, the day when they were pulling planes down out of the sky. And I thought of her that night, winging her way home and her total belief in Britain and Tony and numbers and I sent out a prayer and a kiss to her for her bravery and indominatable simple belief system.
And at work we had to do fire drill, down 26 flights of stairs in heels, badly lit and clutching each other, and you couldn't help but feel for the people in the Towers and I don't like high buildings any more, not at all. I remember "Towering Inferno" too well. And seriously at work we kept away from the windows, which was a shame as it was a wonderful view, The sea visible from my desk, every day, and at the back A Lawn Bowls Club with determined sun cancered, slip slop slap older Aussies bowled in the shimmering heat and I thought,
" Thank God I live in Australia", where the elderly were unconcerned, bowling and flying and sunbaking on the beach and the rest of us were scared to death
And Nev rang from Dublin and said "Come"
I told him of my terror and the 13th Floor thing and he laughed at my fear,
"Yes, I heard Osama Bin Ladens next target is Surfers Paradise", mocking my fear.
"Terrorism is a terrible thing, Janette, the trouble is you don't where it's coming from, the Irish have had it for ever"
And I realised he was right, the orange, the green , The Sihn Fein and Gerry Adams
and bombs, guns, dead soldiers, blown up bodies slewn against a fight against religion, the Proddies amd the Catholics
And 3 weeks later I flew to Ireland to meet up again and we were happy
...love Janette
