Chapter 4: Developments

September 12, 2001, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Steve

“Why hasn’t Mr. Felipe called?” Birgit demanded after the three attorneys had left.

“Things are still chaotic in New York and DC, Pumpkin. The Pentagon is huge, so it’s more likely than not that he’s OK.”

“Have you heard anything about Ailea?” Kara asked.

I shook my head, “Getting calls in and out of New York is still iffy. Heck, a bunch of TV and radio stations are off the air because they had their antennas on the roof of the Trade Center. And the New York City Emergency Response Center was in the smaller building which collapsed. As I said, it’s chaotic.”

“Hi, Tiger! Hi, Kara!” Jessica called out, coming into the house through the back door.

Kara and I each greeted her with a kiss.

“You missed all the excitement,” I said.

“Oh?”

“The FBI detained Amir Khan in Boston and sent agents and Marshals to search the house and question the Khans. I called Melanie, Liz, and Patricia because the Feds wanted to speak to me, too, because I called Amir’s room after Yousef couldn’t get in touch with him.”

“And?”

“Nothing. Do YOU think they’re terrorists?”

“Of course not!” Jessica asserted. “But you know the government.”

“I do. Go get your shower; Kara and I are just about to go across the street to talk to the Khans now that the constabulary has departed.”

“Are the Khans coming back?”

“I suspect so. Patricia hadn’t heard anything from her colleague in Boston, and I doubt if they will even be able to find out where Amir is being held.”

“How can that be, Dad?” Birgit asked.

“If he hasn’t been arrested, he’s technically free to go, and wouldn’t be in the system, and if he hasn’t asked for an attorney, they don’t have to say anything.”

“What do you mean ‘technically free’?”

“They’d likely tell him if he tried to leave, THEN he’d be arrested. If he asks for an attorney, they might decide to arrest him as well.”

“On what grounds?” Birgit inquired.

“Suspicion he was involved in what happened yesterday, and they can hold him for some time, I think seventy-two hours, before they have to charge him or release him. And if they aren’t trying to question him, I’m not sure he can see an attorney. You’d have to ask one of the lawyers to be sure.”

“How come the government gets to cheat?!” she demanded.

“Because we let them,” I replied. “We elect politicians who run on ‘law and order’ platforms, and they help pick the judges who find loopholes in the Constitution.”

“Maybe Jesse and Matthew are right!” my precocious daughter declared.

I chuckled, “You do notice they don’t say those things in public, right Pumpkin?”

“Yes, but it’s not right!”

“We all know that, but the only way to fix it is to elect politicians who think the same way we do.”

“Ugh. People like Grandma A and Rachel’s mom and Francesca’s mom would never vote for people we want!”

“Which is why we have the Constitution, but, sadly, since almost the beginning, politicians have tried to do end-runs on the Constitution and we’ve progressively lost our rights to people who insist that giving them up will provide security and safety.”

“That NEVER works!” Birgit declared.

“I know. We need to go across the street. We’ll be back soon.”

Jessica went upstairs to shower and change and Kara followed her to get a scarf, then joined me to walk across the street. Kara put on her scarf as we climbed the steps of the Khans’ house. I rang the bell, and Yousef answered a moment later.

“Hi, Mr. Adams. Come in.”

We entered the house and he closed the door.

“Are you all OK?” I asked.

“Other than needing to straighten everything after the search, yes. Do you know anything about my father?”

“No. Did you want to come back to the house?”

“Yes, I think so. That’s what my father would want, so I think we should.”

“Do your mom and sister need any help?” Kara asked.

“I don’t think so, Mrs. Adams. We’ll come over in a few minutes.”

Kara and I left and went back to the house.

“Is there karate tonight?” Kara asked when we went into the ‘Indian’ room.

“I’d imagine so,” I replied. “Though I suspect Jess will stay home with Al.”

“Probably. You haven’t heard anything about Felipe or Ailea?”

“No, I haven’t. I’d certainly have let you know if I had!”

“Sorry, yes, you would, but I think everyone is a bit out of sorts.”

“That’s for sure,” Jessica agreed, coming into the room.

“How’s Al?”

“Going through the motions right now. Both Fawn and Gerry are coming to Chicago. Gerry and his family are driving up from Florida today, and Fawn and her husband will leave New York tomorrow; driving, obviously. Are the Khans coming to stay with us?”

“Yes. There are reports of planned anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic marches. In fact, we should turn on the local news.”

I got up and turned on the stereo, selected AM, and turned the knob to 780 to get WBBM. After the weather and traffic, there was a live report from Oak Lawn, where High School students had gathered after class at 95th Street and Southwest Highway. They were waving American flags and shouting insults at cars which carried people who they thought were Muslims.

“That’s not too far from the mosque in Bridgeview,” I said. “Patricia told me the imam there was worried about protests. According to her, there was some kind of interfaith gathering at the mosque earlier.”

The report continued, saying there had been bomb threats against mosques in Glendale Heights and Villa Park, and that there had been some vandalism.

“That’s what Amir was worried about, isn’t it?” Jessica asked.

“And I suspect it’s going to get worse. You remember what happened with Aisyah?”

“Wasn’t that just some woman handing out Jack Chick tracts?” Kara countered.

“That was just the one incident; they had others at her mosque, and she and her family were harassed, along with other Muslims. I’ll call her tomorrow and check-in.”

“Are you opening the office?”

“That’s up to my sister. They’re joining us for dinner, so we’ll talk then, but I’d assume so. John sent me an SMS message saying that they were set up in Durham, but the call volume was light, which we kind of expected. I’m sure Charlie and Cèlia have things under control.”

“Did you have customers in the Trade Center?” Jessica asked.

“Yes, but I have no idea which floors they were on. Obviously, we’ll help them set up temporary offices and do anything else we can, but I suspect it’ll be next week before any of them are ready to implement some kind of disaster plan. Everything in Manhattan is basically closed, and they’re saying the markets likely won’t open until Monday.”

“Where are the kids?”

“The girls are in the sunroom, Albert went to hang out with Jesse and Nicholas, and Jesse probably has Libby over as well. I was actually going to call Elyse and check up on them.”

“OK. We’ll go be with the girls and wait for the Khans,” Kara said.

I turned off the radio and went to my study to call Elyse, while my wives went to be with the kids.

“How are all of you doing?” I asked when Elyse answered the phone.

“We’re fine. I spoke with Eduardo this morning. He’s working out of the Buenos Aires office for the rest of the week, and will try to fly home on Sunday, if they’re allowing flights.”

“Supposedly tomorrow,” I replied. “But it wouldn’t surprise me if there are more security checks. And they’ll likely be draconian because nobody has any idea how the hijackers managed to commandeer the planes. I can’t imagine the metal detectors failed that many times, so whatever they used, it either didn’t set off the detectors or seemed innocuous.”

“Bombs?” Elyse asked.

“Or carbon fiber knives, or something like that. I think the crash in Pennsylvania is the one where they’ll find the best evidence. Anyway, how are the boys taking things?”

“Matthew was on the phone with Chelsea this morning, and seems OK. He and Jesse talked earlier, too. Michael is his usual quiet self, but I spent some time talking with him earlier and he’s doing OK. I think the boys made plans for the weekend, but they haven’t spoken to me about it. How are the girls?”

“Birgit is Birgit,” I chuckled. “She gave the FBI a piece of her mind.”

“FBI?!”

“Amir Khan was detained in Boston and the FBI came to interview the Khans and search their house. Patricia was here, along with Liz and Melanie. The Feds didn’t find anything, of course.”

“I heard there was some kind of protest on the South Side.”

“According to the radio, a bunch of High School kids, but there have also been bomb threats against mosques.”

“Wonderful,” Elyse sighed.

“When are the kids back in school?”

“Tomorrow. What is Chicago Public Schools doing?”

“The same. Have you spoken to Stephanie?”

“Yes. She’s inclined to return to business as usual tomorrow, with the obvious exception of Manhattan. Cindi heard from Abel and he’s safe. It took him ten hours to get home, and then he couldn’t call long-distance until this afternoon.”

“Not surprised, really. There are reports that MCI and AT&T and others had switch rooms either in or near the Trade Centers. They reported that one of New York City’s emergency response centers was in the smaller building that collapsed.”

“What a fucking mess! Did you hear anything about Ailea or Felipe?”

“No. I’m worried about Ailea, but not so much about Felipe. The Pentagon is huge, and it was actually pretty early, if you think about it. That’s the hope I hold out for Ailea - that her meetings hadn’t started and she wasn’t in the building. The other one I thought about was Gabe’s dad, who works for Cantor Fitzgerald.”

“Who?”

“He’s part of the philosophy club.”

“Where does Mary Harrison work?”

“At the State Department, and she really has no reason to have been at the Pentagon. The same goes for Josh, who was probably at Georgetown. Penny talked to Bart and Alice, and they’re fine.”

“How is Al?”

“OK, I think. He was with Malik’s family last night, and he’s coming here tonight. His kids and their families will be here tomorrow. They’re driving, obviously.”

“How are YOU doing?”

“No syncope or anything like it,” I replied. “I didn’t need any medication, either.”

“Just watch yourself, Steve.”

“There are plenty of people here who’ll watch me VERY carefully!”

“True.”

“Why not join us for dinner? It’s going to be a madhouse anyway. I’m doing burgers on the grill and obviously, the Khans will be here, along with Penny and her family, and probably Samantha and her family.”

“We’ll leave as soon as I can get the guys in the car. See you in about an hour.”

We said ‘goodbye’ and I hung up, and decided that because we’d have everyone at the house, we’d skip karate. I called Sensei Jim at home and let him know, and asked about both Ailea and Felipe, but he hadn’t heard anything from Sensei Ichirou or Felipe. Before we ended the call, he decided to cancel class. Once we’d said ‘goodbye’, I sat down at my desk and turned on my computer. I wanted to check my email, but I also wanted to jot down my thoughts, as I’d done on Tuesday afternoon.

Unsurprisingly, I had several notifications of messages from gaim - Katy, Leigh, Estrella, and Nalani had all sent messages, though none of them were online. I typed quick replies to all of them, scanned my email, and finding nothing urgent, I decided to play a game, as I couldn’t update my journal until I got the laptop back from Samantha.

🎤 Jesse

“What did your mom say?” I asked Nicholas.

“Just that she’s worried about me. Tom is worried about the firemen who were in the buildings when they collapsed.”

“Your mom didn’t freak out like my Aunt Jessica, though, right?”

“No,” Nicholas replied. “Mom was worried, but she was sure I was safe, and she trusted Uncle Steve to make sure I was.”

“Kids?” Mom One said, coming into the living room. “Steve is planning a barbecue for dinner. He said the Khans will be here, along with Elyse and your brothers, Stephanie and her kids, Penny and her family, and Samantha and her family. You’re welcome to stay, Libby.”

“I’ll call my mom and ask,” Libby said.

She went to the kitchen to use the phone, and was back a moment later.

“It’s cool,” Libby said.

“Mom Two called and she’ll be home at the normal time,” Mom One said.

“She had to work today?” Libby asked.

“Evanston didn’t have any evacuations,” Mom One said. “She worked all day yesterday, too. Melissa decided to send us all home because our office is close to an FAA radar installation. I’ll go back to work tomorrow.”

“Air traffic control radar for the Midwest,” Albert said. “The Midwest Center.”

“Did Dad hear anything more about Mr. Khan?” I asked.

“No,” Mom One replied. “But he had a pilot’s license, so I think you can understand why they want to talk to him.”

“I told the FBI they aren’t terrorists!” Albert declared. “And so did Birgit.”

“Oh to be a fly on the wall for THAT conversation!” I chuckled.

“Dad has it on video from the security cameras,” Albert said with a smirk.

“We HAVE to watch that after dinner!” I declared.

“What will happen to Mr. Khan?” Libby asked.

“If he wasn’t involved, nothing,” Mom One said. “But we’re already seeing anti-Muslim protests, so Nada, Fatimah, and Yousef will be staying at your dad’s house again just to be safe.”

“Isn’t that risky?” Libby asked. “I mean, if people know you have Muslims here.”

“It’s the right thing to do,” Nicholas said. “Just like the people who protected Anne Frank from the Nazis.”

“Seriously?” Libby asked. “You compare this to the Holocaust?!”

“That’s how it started,” I replied. “Hitler told the Germans that Jewish people were the enemy.”

“And we did that during World War II with Japanese-Americans!” Albert declared. “Muslims aren’t our enemies. Terrorists are. And governments which support terrorists.”

“You really think something like that could happen now?” Libby asked. “I mean rounding up all the Muslims and putting them into concentration camps?”

“It can happen anywhere,” I said. “And Albert is right that we did it during World War II.”

“You’re sure Mr. Khan wasn’t involved?” Libby asked. “I mean, he was in Boston and you said he has a pilot’s license.”

“He’s a math teacher!” I countered. “And he’s super nice. The only thing I don’t like about the Khans is how Mr. Khan and Yousef treat Mrs. Khan and Fatimah.”

“They aren’t locked down as bad as Francesca is!” Albert said, shaking his head.

“That’s insanity, not religion!” I declared. “There are women in my church who wear scarves in church, or at church functions. Michelle even does. But the arranged marriage thing is going a bit too far.”

“A bit?!” Libby protested. “It’s nuts!”

“But Fatimah doesn’t think so,” I replied. “And if she’s OK with it, it’s not really our business. She’s seventeen and she’ll be eighteen before she’s married.”

“She’s brainwashed!”

“Mom Two would say the same thing about me,” I chuckled. “You know her opinion of religion! And Aunt Bethany’s, too!”

“Albert,” Libby asked, “how hard would it be to fly those planes? Did the terrorists have to be pilots?”

Albert shook his head, “No. They could practice enough with simulators and maybe take a few lessons and be able to fly, and follow the navigation guides. You’ve flown my simulator and it really isn’t much different, except that you have to know where all the buttons and switches are, but there are manuals available for every type of plane.”

“So you could?”

“Probably. When I talked to the pilot and co-pilot of the plane I took to England, everything in the cockpit looked familiar and I’m sure I could fly. Landing is the tough part.”

“I crash almost every time!” Nicholas declared.

“It’s a good thing you want to be a doctor in the Navy and not fly jets!” Mom Two declared.

We all laughed, then left the coach house to join everyone in the main house.

🎤 Birgit

I was glad Mrs. Khan allowed Fatimah to come to my room with me when they came back.

“Can I ask about your, well, I’m not sure what to call the boy you’re supposed to marry?”

“The one I’m promised to?”

“Yes. How old is he?”

“Twenty-five,” Fatimah replied.

“And you really haven’t met him?”

“He’s at Imperial College in London finishing his Master’s degree in petroleum engineering. He’ll have a job with the government oil company, Saudi Aramco, when he graduates next year.”

“When did you get engaged? Or promised?”

“When I was eight and he was fifteen.”

“But you’ve never met him?”

“No. His father is an executive for the company and has been in London for ten years.”

I couldn’t imagine marrying someone I’d never had sex with, let alone never met! I really couldn’t object to picking a spouse at eight, because of Stephie and Nicholas or Albert and Jane or Matthew and Chelsea. But not ever meeting him? What if he was a total jerk? Or ugly? There was just no way!

“So your grandfather just decided who you should marry without asking?”

“Yes. It’s good for our families, and it’s the way things are done. Proper girls don’t date the way you do here in the US.”

“What’s his name?”

“Ibrahim.”

“And that’s how your mom and dad got together?”

“Yes.”

“How old was your mom?” I asked.

“Nine when she was promised, sixteen when she was married. If we hadn’t come to the US, I would be married by now. My mother felt it was better to wait to marry until our family was back in Saudi Arabia.”

“And that’s where you’ll live?”

“Yes,” Fatimah replied. “Ibrahim will have a job in Dhahran, and that’s where we’ll live.”

“And that’s what you want to do?”

“As I said, it’s not up to me.”

Actually, it was, but if I said so, she’d stop talking to me about it, so I had to play along as if it was all OK.

“It’s not how we do things here.”

“How did your parents meet? Well, I guess your dad has two wives, which I thought wasn’t allowed for Christians.”