Although I had watched World News Tonight with Peter Jennings for years, I had never focused so much on him as much as I focused on the news of the day. But today, 9-11, I was seeing him through new eyes. He displayed an authenticity and vulnerability that I had never perceived. Today he became a real live, seemingly approachable man. In my shock and distress, his comforting tone of voice touched me and offered me reassurance that our country would survive this egregious attack.
As he gestured with his hands, sleeves casually rolled up, I merely observed that he was not wearing a wedding band. I wondered if he were still single. I remembered hearing on Entertainment Tonight once that he'd taken Barbra Streisand to some celebrity function. The TV ceased to exist as his calm demeanor in the midst of chaos drew me to him by pure magnetism. I was unable to pull myself from him and his conveyance of the news. He was there, in my family room, talking to me personally, telling me all he knew. As long as he was there, providing balm for my angst, I felt that everything would be all right, somehow, someday.
The towers were shown being bombarded and tumbling to the ground repeatedly all day. Peter got somewhat emotional when he told us that we must call our children. I found the prints of our last family vacation to New York and pulled out those of The World Trade Center. While standing on top of the South Tower, we never imagined that these massive towers would lie on the ground in ruins in fewer than five years.
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It had been an emotionally exhausting day, and it was late when I turned the TV off and went to bed. Crazy dreams revolved in my brain and disturbed my sleep. The only one that I remember vividly involved Jeff and Dan flying their small Cessna planes toward the Statue of Liberty with intentions of destroying it. Just then, Peter Jennings miraculously appeared, armed with a machine gun. Just before the moment of impact, Peter aimed, fired, and shot them both down.
----- excerpt from Dinner With Peter by Beverly Smith
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