Low Rise

In order to qualify for maternity benefits, I took a long contract with a firm on the 26th floor of the bank tower. I had other assignments in sky-scrapers before that, but this was the first time it occurred to me that it could be perilous. During high winds one day, the building swayed enough that the vertical blinds on the windows clanked against each other. And then there was the fire drill, where I had to walk down 26 flights of stairs while heavily pregnant. Years later 9/11 affirmed my vow to work only in low buildings.