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EILEEN FLECHA: Business Before Voting

 

Eileen Flecha opted to be on time for work on Sept. 11, which is why she won the debate she had with her stepfather, who worked nearby on Wall Street, over whether they should vote in the mayoral primary that morning -- his preference -- or wait until after business hours. Ms. Flecha was a stickler for punctuality, and her job as a junior trader at Fiduciary Trust came first. So she got to the office early; they never made it to the polls.

Ms. Flecha, 33, lived in the Kew Gardens section of Queens with her mother and her stepfather, Robert Morris, and the family dog, Hannibal, a 102-pound bruiser. "Now every time he sees a green car pass the house, he thinks it's her," Mr. Morris said. "He misses her terribly." A Yankees fan and a horror-movie aficionado who collected scary videos, she was engaged to a co- worker, Ivan Perez. As a wedding present to themselves, they bought a home in Kew Gardens. As a surprise wedding present, Ms. Flecha's parents bought them enough furniture to feather the new nest. Now the house sits empty, the furniture remains in storage, and Mr. Perez is listed among the missing, too.

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From "Profiles in Grief" of The New York Times