All through her life Rita had been told she had her father eyes. Besides that she was an exact replica of her mother. From her copper colored hair to her thin lips. When she was younger she adored her eyes, in fact it wasn't until her early thirties she started to despise her eyes.
The exact date was September 9, 2001. That day a lot of people lost love ones. But Rita didn't just lose a loved one. She lost the one person she loved more than anything, her god-given solace, the person she knew that would always be there for her. Until he wasn't, until he left her all alone in the world.
She remembered that day like it a was yesterday. She was still a prosecutor at that time. She still had a passion to persecute those who broke the law. Her heart didn't hurt then, like hit hurt now. She could look directly in the mirror and not feel a thing. Now when she looked in the mirror all she felt was dread, knowing that nothing would ever be the same.
She remembered sitting in her office preparing for her next case of the day. She remembered hearing phone ring, but quickly shutting it off so she could concentrate. She remember hearing yelling outside her office. She remembered going to investigate and finding the whole building huddled in the lobby staring at the TV. She remembered feeling her heart drop because she knew her dad was in his office today. She remembered running back to her office in search of her phone. She remembered seeing she had one miss call from her father. She remembered praying that he had left early. She remembered holding back tears as she listened to his voice for the last time.
"Hey hun, um I'm sure you see what's happening on the new, but don't worry. I gonna make it out. I'm gonna be home I promise you. I love you and um try to call down your mother. You know how hysterical she gets."
What she doesn't remember is crying when she couldn't get a whole to him. She doesn't remember cry when he wasn't apart of the survivors. She doesn't remember crying when he was declared dead, but his body was never found. She doesn't remember crying when her mother decided to bury an empty casket. She doesn't remember crying when she went to his funeral. She doesn't remember crying when her niece asked "When's grandpa coming back?". That's because she didn't cry. She couldn't cry. When her father left for work that morning he took her eyes with him. And now she was tearless even after sixteen years.
In loving memory of all those who died on September 11, 2001. To all those who grieved loved ones. To all those who couldn't grieve or cry.