story6576.xml
Title
story6576.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-12
911DA Story: Story
My husband and I were going on a business trip that morning to New York City. Our original flight was for Monday the 10th, but all our plans were pushed back a day. Originally, we were to dine at Windows on the World on the 10th, 7:30 reservations, and the next moring (the 11th), I was going to TKTS in the WTC for show tickets. But with our plans pushed back, we were in the Tampa International Airport on the morning of the 11th, with our reservations for dinner on the 11th for Windows.
I remember we arrived at the airport early, and were at the gate awaiting our friends Jim and Gloria who were traveling with us. We saw our plane arrive and unload the passengers comming from La Guardia. Jim came walking up and said to me "We aren't going anywhere today, a plane just hit the World Trade Center". I thought he was joking, and told him "Yeah, right, tell me another one", to which he replied, "I'm not kidding". I then starting looking around the terminal, and everyone had a shocked, scared look on their faces, and there was a kind of feeling, I can't explain. His wife then came running up and said, another plane just hit the other tower (she stayed in the bar watching tv while he came and told us). All four of our phones started ringing, our parents, friends, and children were calling. All I could think about was the 50,000 people who worked in those buildings every day or visited them. The loss of live would be staggering.
There was a gentleman sitting behind me who must have heard our conversation. He tapped my on the shoulder, and said "Excuse me, but did you say a plane hit the WTC? My son works in Tower 2. I said yes, and he calmly picked up his phone and started to dial it. After speaking on the phone, he make another call, sounding like he was recording a message on an answering machine and said that his son decided to work from home that day, and he spoke to him, he is fine, but was concered about his friends and coworkers, and to leave messages for him and his wife, they would return all phone calls. He hung up the phone, and started crying.
The airline announced that our flight would be delayed, and they would make an announcement with any further information. After a few minutes, we decided that there was no way any flights would be taking off that day and decided to leave the airport. The remainder of the day, I watched the news in shock, crying for those who died.
We never rescheduled that trip, but we have flown and been to NYC since without fear or hesitation. I have not visited the site of the WTC, but will go when the memorial is built to those who lost their lives. I have a different outlook on life now; trivial things do not matter any more. Life it too short to worry about little things. Also, I tell my husband I love him every morning before he leaves the house, and at the end of every conversation.
I remember we arrived at the airport early, and were at the gate awaiting our friends Jim and Gloria who were traveling with us. We saw our plane arrive and unload the passengers comming from La Guardia. Jim came walking up and said to me "We aren't going anywhere today, a plane just hit the World Trade Center". I thought he was joking, and told him "Yeah, right, tell me another one", to which he replied, "I'm not kidding". I then starting looking around the terminal, and everyone had a shocked, scared look on their faces, and there was a kind of feeling, I can't explain. His wife then came running up and said, another plane just hit the other tower (she stayed in the bar watching tv while he came and told us). All four of our phones started ringing, our parents, friends, and children were calling. All I could think about was the 50,000 people who worked in those buildings every day or visited them. The loss of live would be staggering.
There was a gentleman sitting behind me who must have heard our conversation. He tapped my on the shoulder, and said "Excuse me, but did you say a plane hit the WTC? My son works in Tower 2. I said yes, and he calmly picked up his phone and started to dial it. After speaking on the phone, he make another call, sounding like he was recording a message on an answering machine and said that his son decided to work from home that day, and he spoke to him, he is fine, but was concered about his friends and coworkers, and to leave messages for him and his wife, they would return all phone calls. He hung up the phone, and started crying.
The airline announced that our flight would be delayed, and they would make an announcement with any further information. After a few minutes, we decided that there was no way any flights would be taking off that day and decided to leave the airport. The remainder of the day, I watched the news in shock, crying for those who died.
We never rescheduled that trip, but we have flown and been to NYC since without fear or hesitation. I have not visited the site of the WTC, but will go when the memorial is built to those who lost their lives. I have a different outlook on life now; trivial things do not matter any more. Life it too short to worry about little things. Also, I tell my husband I love him every morning before he leaves the house, and at the end of every conversation.
Collection
Citation
“story6576.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed April 26, 2024, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/19808.