Reunion

By: Jennifer

Jennifer sighed as she listened to the voice on the phone, "Yes...I promise I'll call as soon as I land," she said as she heard the final boarding call for her flight. "Listen Bec, I have to go, I'll call I promise...I love you too...Bye" She quickly turned off her phone, shouldered her bag and ran to the gate to board her flight where she gave the attendant her ticket and ID.

"Have a nice flight," the attendant said as Jennifer smiled at her. She made her way down the jet way and found her seat. She nervously sat back and fastened her belt and prayed for the thousandth time that day that the butterflies that had taken up permanent camp in her stomach would just stop. As the plane began to climb higher she closed her eyes, hoping to catch up on some much needed sleep. She began to drift off as her mind wandered to a time when her life changed, forever.

*************************************************

“Oh my God, Jen, you aren’t going to believe this,” an excited Josh said on the phone. Jennifer was finishing up some last minute things at school and the call from her best friend was exactly what she needed.

“What’s up sweetie,” she said as she picked the toys up off the floor.

“Well, remember when I told you that I heard from Justin Timberlake a few weeks ago right?”

“Vaguely.”

“Well, anyway, he met this guy Chris Kirkpatrick and he knows this other guy Joey Fatone and well, we’re going to start a band.”

“Excuse me, you’re going to do what?” She asked her friend as she stopped dead in her tracks.

“Start a band, we need to find one other guy though, and then it will be all set.”

Josh rattled on incessantly as Jennifer really began to take in everything that he was saying. Josh, her Josh, her best friend since pre-school, he was going off to become a singer. Even through his time with the Mickey Mouse Club the two had always remained close. They sent letters emails, made phone calls, whatever it took. The two were the best of friends.

“So what do you think?” he asked as Jennifer was shaken from her memory.

“I think its wonderful,” she said sounding genuinely excited for her friend. “I’m so proud of you Josh,” she said. The two finished their conversation and hung up, promising to talk again soon.

The next few years flew by as Jennifer watched her best friend succeed in ways that neither of them could have ever imagined. The two went back to living for forms of mass communication. With him constantly touring and recording and her teaching it really was the only thing for them.

As Josh saw all of his career dreams come true, Jennifer met the man of her own dreams and fell in love. David was a wonderful man and the two were blissfully happy. David worked as a financial analyst and Jennifer continued to teach music to underprivileged children in New York. Jennifer was on her way to class, running late, when she heard the news. The towers had fallen. Dreams shattered. Hopes gone. Her husband, her lifeline, and the man who didn’t even know that he was to become a father, gone, forever.

Josh knew where he worked and upon hearing the news immediately called Jennifer.

“Pick up the phone dammit,” he grumbled as his four best friends quickly called family and friends to let them know where they were.

“Hey, you’ve reached my voicemail, I’m probably in class so leave your name and number at the beep and I’ll get back with you, bye!”

“Jen, its Josh, please call me. I need to know that you and Dave are okay,” he choked through his words.

Joey came up behind him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. As JC turned to him the tears began to pour from his eyes.

“I have to get to her,” he said through his tears.

“I know, I already told Johnny.”

“There’s gonna be a car waiting for you when we get to Pennsylvania but its gonna take until tomorrow before you can get in the city,” Chris said as he put his arm around JC’s shoulder.

Jennifer heard his voicemail. His and everyone else’s that is. Calls of despair, tears, longing and encouragement. She was overwhelmed. She just sat in the dark brownstone with the television on, not really believing what she was seeing portrayed over and over again. Tears couldn’t come out any longer, she had cried every last one of them away. She couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, nothing. She was numb.

It was a knock on her door, which made her get up off the couch. She forced herself to walk to the door, physically and emotionally drained. She slowly opened it just as he was lifting his wrist to knock again. She looked up at him and collapsed in his arms that he was holding out for her.

JC stayed with her and tended to her every need. He held her close at night when nightmares woke her from a fitful sleep. He wiped tears from her eyes and just let her be silent. Jennifer had many thoughts and feelings but not a single word crossed her lips.

He had been with her a week before she finally spoke, “Where were you?” she asked quietly, her voice hoarse.

“What sweetie?” he asked as he looked up from his laptop where he was busy writing.

“When you heard about…about…the towers, where were you?” she asked again. Josh went over and sat next to her on the couch and lightly brushed her curls from her face.

“Jennifer, we don’t have to talk about this,” he said softly.

“Yes, yes, we do, where were you?” she demanded.

“ON the bus, with the guys. We had finished up the VMA’s and we were headed towards the airport. When the first plane hit, they drove us out of the city and wanted us to fly back from Philly. Chris refused, said he never wanted to step foot on a plane again. Joey worried about Kelly and Brihanna. Justin paced and freaked about where Britney was. Lance worried about his family and then broke down completely as he realized what it all meant... how many people, how many lives would be affected that day. I guess it just put it all into perspective for us," he paused, "Made us all realize that it wasn't all about just the five of us.”

“What about you?” she asked.

“I worried about you,” he sighed. Jennifer looked at her friend in a way she never had before. Tears fell as strong arms enveloped her frame. He quietly sang as he ran his fingers through her hair wishing he could take away the pain.

Jennifer eventually told Josh about what happened to her that day and when she finished, he immediately made her start eating. If not just for her well being, for her unborn child’s as well.

As the days after the attack passed, Josh was there through it all. He stood next to her and rubbed her shoulders when she got the phone call that they had found David’s body in the rubble. He walked next to her and held her hand as she went to the funeral and he was there to dry her tears when she watched as the body of her husband was lowered into the ground. Josh knew his friend was strong, but he wasn't so sure she could handle all she was going through each day. But just as Jennifer was beginning to adjust back to her everyday life, the inevitable occurred. Eventually, he had to go. The two exchanged a sad goodbye at the airport, their bond stronger than ever, and he promised to be back for the birth of her baby, regardless of where he was.

Josh was as good as his word. The two grew closer and he came to New York when Jennifer gave birth to her son, David Joshua, in honor of the two most important men in her life.

After Jennifer had her baby, Josh and Jennifer didn’t see each other for months on end. Josh was busy with the group and subsequently, his solo career. Jennifer watched from a distance as the two kept in touch as they always had. David grew up knowing his “Uncle Josh” only through phone calls and pictures that Jennifer had of the two of them.

Jennifer became to Josh, the person that he went to for everything. The person he called when he had broken up with a girlfriend, got in an argument with one of the guys, or just needed someone to talk to. She was the last person that he spoke to every night and the first person he wanted to speak to when he got up in the morning. She became his lifeline.

The day the invitation came in the mail, a flood of memories came over Jennifer. The ten-year reunion, something that she whole-heartedly dreaded. It meant reliving 9/11 over and over again because everyone in her class knew that her husband had died that day. She also knew that the one person she longed to see would not be there. Josh had a prior engagement with the group.

It was her sister who convinced her to go. “You have to face them all again Jen,” her sister said. “It’s not going to go away and it will only be worse if you prolong it.”

Jennifer cursed her sister for being such a good social worker, however, she asked her parents to watch David and she planned for the trip.

Josh called the day before she left and he told her that he would be with her in sprit even though he couldn’t be there in person. It made her feel that much better knowing that he was thinking of her.

************************************************

Jennifer stretched her arms as she heard the captain’s voice. She pulled out her compact and wiped the sleep from her eyes as she listened to the captain rattle on about the temperature and how long until the flight landed. She took in a deep breath and pulled out the picture of her son with Josh and smiled.

As the flight landed she collected her things and headed towards the hotel. The reunion was being held at the same place that she was staying. She saw the welcome sign as she walked in the door and smiled at the thought of seeing old friends, hiding the fact that she was secretly a nervous wreck. She checked in at the front desk, grabbed her keys and headed up to her room to freshen up.

Three hours later, she took one last look in the mirror. Her brown curls fell to her shoulders and her simple black dress clung tightly to her curves. A knock at the door startled her as she wondered who could be looking for her. Jennifer peered through the peek hole and saw nothing but roses. Curious, she opened the door to reveal a pair of long legs.

“Excuse me, are you Miss Jennifer?” the unfamiliar voice behind the flowers asked.

“Uh, yes, I’m Jennifer,” she said hesitantly.

“Well, these are for you,” he said as he handed her the flowers.

“Who are they…” Jennifer began to say as she took the flowers and the face behind them was revealed.

“Josh,” she said breathlessly.

“Yeah, I’m here,” he said as he held his hand out to her, “and I’m not going anywhere, ever.”

Jennifer smiled as she put the flowers on the table. Josh took her hand and the two headed down to the reunion, Together.

The End

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