THE SUNDAY TIMES: Elizabeth Turner was pregnant with her son when she lost her husband in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre
I woke up on my own on Tuesday September 11, 2001. It was a beautiful autumn day with a bright blue sky, sunshine and a riot of colours that cascaded over the road. I looked at my tummy. It felt huge and I gently rubbed it. I felt very peaceful and happy with my place in the world.
Seven months pregnant, I would have preferred to spend the day in bed, but I had to get to work at Channel 4 Television where I was the senior human resources manager. I had a month to go before maternity leave.
I rolled over and grabbed my mobile from the bedside table. My husband, Simon, was in New York on a business trip and I liked to know that his plane had landed safely. I listened to the message. Of course he was okay. He was always okay.
On my way to work I could smell the beginning of autumn in the air and the blue of the sky was spectacular. It hinted of wonderful things. I suddenly felt a “what a fabulous life this is” moment. I was pregnant, I loved my husband deeply and everything was perfect.
At midday, just as I was collecting my things to go for lunch, Simon rang. He had showered and was ready to leave for a conference. It was in the Windows on the World restaurant at the World Trade Center.
My mind was on other things: “I need to talk to you about the Mamas & Papas buggy we want. I phoned John Lewis and it’s not in stock and I’ve looked on the internet and I can’t find anywhere that sells it ...”
Even I could sense my irrational panic. Simon calmed me down. Simon always calmed me down. I trusted him to take care of me.
This was no mean feat for any man, as I had a scary independent streak that made me feel I had to face the world on my own all the time. We chatted some more. I loved the feeling I had when I connected with him.
At about 1.45pm I walked into my office after lunch and saw on Sky News that a plane had hit the World Trade Center.
I couldn’t take it in. I saw my TV screen, the image of the twin towers with smoke billowing out of one of them and the “breaking news” tag line. I tried to absorb what it was telling me.
Quickly my logical mind jumped in and told me all the statistics, facts, figures, numbers and calculations that prove bad things are rare. I knew Simon was in the twin towers, but I reminded myself that I lived a normal life, I was pregnant and everything would be fine. We were about to have our first child and fathers don’t die just before a baby is born.
Jane Jordan, a human resources colleague, walked in. “This is unbelievable!” >>> © Elizabeth Turner | Sunday, August 16, 2009
Extracted from The Blue Skies of Autumn by Elizabeth Turner to be published by Simon & Schuster on August 20 at £9.99. Copies can be ordered for £8.99, including postage, from The Sunday Times BooksFirst on 0845 271 2135
