The Journey Home-From Chicago to Florida on 9/11

The taxi pulled up and dropped us off with our luggage in front of the airport just as they were closing it down. We realized we had checked out of our hotel and wouldn't be able to fly home, so Pete decided, when he turned in his rental car, to trade it in for a van big enough for all six of us to fit with our luggage so we could drive back to Ft. Lauderdale. Pete was the first in line and made the exchange for a van before others realized there was going to be a shortage of rentals. When the agency took him to the spot where the van was supposed to be, the spot was empty and there were no other vans. Pete told the man he wanted the van they were in, which he agreed to, and made sure he rented it with unlimited mileage. We were the only people standing in front of the airport waiting for Pete to pick us up. If anyone stopped, the police would pull up behind them and chase them away, yelling at them on a loud speaker.