It's finally here! It is the morning of my 21st birthday! South Tower and I are now legally allowed to drink alcohol in the United States. We're going up to the top of the Empire State Building to celebrate this very special day. The date is Sunday, May 2, 2011.
Remember back in 2001 when I, a curious eleven-year-old, wondered what life would be like in ten years? Well, this is what it's like. We're not part of the skyline anymore, obviously. A new tower is about to replace us in a few years' time. It's the One World Trade Center, nicknamed the Freedom Tower. Construction started in the year 2009, and America's new tallest skyscraper is to be completed in 2014.
There's these little devices called iPhones. They're weaker than Nokias in terms of fall resistance, but they are a lot more efficient. You can save people's numbers as contacts, so that you don't have to dial the number every time you want to call that person. You can take photos and keep them on a Camera Roll that you can look at whenever you want. Best of all, you can play lots of mobile games. Also, we have a new president in the United States of America. He was elected in 2008, and his name is Barack Obama.
My identical twin, our parents, and I are currently strolling down 5th Avenue, a jump in our step. The Empire State Building towers hundreds of feet over us. Clutching our 86th floor observation deck tickets, we push the main entrance doors open and enter the skyscraper.
"Welcome to the, um, the Empire State Building" the woman at the front desk hesitates, shocked to see my sister and I. After all, we are the Twin Towers, and it's unusual to see a person with silver skin instead of tan or cocoa skin. In addition, it's always a shock to see two females that are both six feet, six inches in height.
"Thank you, ma'am," our father responds, waving his hand politely.
"Today is our twin daughters' milestone birthday," our mother states, gesturing to South Tower and I. "They are finally 21, and we are celebrating it here."
"Happy birthday, you two," the woman says to us, smiling. "You may go to the observation deck now. Have a good time up there on the deck, it really is something to enjoy."
"Thanks!" All of us reply. We pile into the elevator going up, which is not very crowded because today is Sunday. It starts to move us and three other visitors towards the observation deck.
We walk out onto the 86th floor of the Empire State Building less than a minute later. Almost immediately, my sister and I are stunned by the purely incredible view of New York City. Our mother pulls out her phone to take a picture of my twin and I on our special birthday.
"Girls! Get together and smile for the camera!" Dad declares, pulling his phone from his pocket.
We follow our father's command. He and our mother take a photo of my sister and I with giant grins plastered across our faces in front of our home city's skyline. It will be a forever keepsake of our wonderful birthday trip. The sky is blue without a cloud in sight, which means I can see for miles, even all the way to the state of Connecticut. Just a few miles away, the new World Trade Center skyscraper is being built. It's already amazing to look at, even though it's barely halfway done.
"Excuse me, are you the Twin Towers?" A young brunette woman runs up to us, texting someone urgently on her cell phone.
"Yes, we are. Can we help you with anything, ma'am?" I question.
"You must see the news, the both of you! It's something about Osama bin Laden, I saw his face on the TV, then I saw you over here and recognized you from when you played for the Manhattan Jets..." she hurriedly explains.
My sister and I gasp in unison when we hear the name she utters. Osama bin Laden is the horrible, twisted leader of al-Qaeda, the terrorist group that coordinated the 9/11 attacks that killed not only me, but my sister and thousands of other people as well. He is one of the most evil men on this planet, and no one will doubt it. I wonder if he has attacked again?
My phone starts playing Gloria, a catchy song I've had as my ringtone since I bought the cell phone, before the woman can say anything else. The caller is my and South Tower's old Arabic teacher, whose name is Ahmed. He came from a small town in Saudi Arabia as soon as he graduated college to teach young, willing American children his fascinating language and also to learn how to speak fluent English.
"Hello, Ahmed!" I exclaim in Arabic, the thirty-six-year-old's native tongue.
"North Tower! Happy 21st birthday to you!" Ahmed answers. He sounds out of breath for some reason. "Did you see what happened on the news?"
"No, I didn't," I tell him. "But some lady just ran up to us and was talking a mile a minute about something bin Laden just did. Was there another attack, Ahmed?"
"No, North Tower, bin Laden didn't do anything this time," Ahmed responds. "Listen, where are you standing right now?"
"I'm with my parents and sister near the top of the Empire State Building," I inform him.
"Go to a television displaying a news channel," Ahmed orders me.
"I will. Goodbye, Ahmed," I say while hanging up. I motion the rest of my family to a nearby television. They follow me as I hurry towards it. The small TV is hanging on the wall. Behind the screen, two reporters are seated at a desk. A large picture of Osama bin Laden's stern face is displayed behind them.
I'm absolutely paralyzed with happiness when I find out what has occurred. I can't believe it happened on the birthday of my sister and I. I've finally discovered what everyone is so excited about. It is not an attack on America. Rather, it is a reason to celebrate all day and all night.
Osama bin Laden has been killed!
YOU ARE READING
Triumph {The Manhattan Trilogy #3}
General FictionNorth Tower. It is shocking to her that it's the year 2011. It's already been ten years since her death! Yes, sometimes she has nightmares about it. She's mostly moved on, though. She has a wonderful boyfriend that she is sure she wants to marry som...
