By Linda Chestney
The Lucite case encloses two $2 bills,
a tarnished wedding ring,
a charred wallet.
Rob gave Myrta a $2 bill when he proposed.
A second marriage for both, it was an ideal symbol for their love.
Rob kept a matching $2 bill in his wallet.
He said it was a second chance for them
and if they ever got lost from each other,
they could find each other from the $2 bills.
Ensconced in a new job on the 97th floor of the south tower,
Rob felt the impact of the plane hitting the north tower.
A young colleague froze—feet cemented to the floor.
He pushed her to the door. Told her run and don’t look back.
He saved her life.
“Yes, it’s true.” His first words shouted into his cell when Myrta called.
“They are jumping. Jumping from the windows. I can see their faces.”
His voice broke.
“I promise I’ll call you back. I love you.”
His last words to her.
Four years later NYPD asked her to visit the special recovery room.
There she pulled the scorched $2 bill from her late husband’s wallet.
And it all came crashing down.
Linda Chestney, a member of Evergreen Covenant Church in Sanford, Maine, was visiting the National September 11 Memorial and Museum when she saw a display featuring items donated by Myrta Gschaar, the widow of Robert Gschaar. Chestney is a freelance writer, editor, publicist, and owner of Nicolin Fields Publishing. She has written four books, and her work has appeared in the Boston Globe, New Hampshire Magazine, Women’s Circle, Wildlife Conservation Magazine, and artscope Magazine, among others.
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