story6497.xml

story6497.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-12

On September 10th I got laid off and thought that it was the worse day little did I know what the next day was going to be like...
The day started off nice with blue skies, I woke up early because I was used to waking up to go to work. I was still a bit upset about not having my job anymore and was planning to go back to where I worked to fill out some forms for unemploynment. So, I woke up made breakfast for me and my girlfriend and then walked her to the bus while we were walking a bus came and asked her if she wanted to rush to it she said no and we waited till the next one. So then my girlfriend gets on the bus I kiss her goodbye and then I get really upset about getting laid off I didnt cry but had no clue where to start looking since the economy was so rotten even before 9/11.
So I go back to bed and watch some tv and flip the channels and then I left it on channel 4 for some reason I think to check the weather because i was also thinking about maybe playing some basketball. They were interviewing someone I forgot who but then they said they have a remarkable picture of the WTC the go on to it and I am like "Holy Crap" how are they going to rescue people there and then how are they going to fix it. So then I watch it and my father calls and tells me about. I call my girlfriend because she works liek 5-10 blocks away from it. She isnt there I leave a voice mail telling her to call me. Then after I hang up the second plane hits but at the time channel four had a different camera angle so you didnt really see the plane so i thought it was a bomb. Then the anchor says it wasnt a bomb it was another plane and they show it I am like holy shit now what so i call back my gf immediately and to tell her to call me the second she can and that we are under attack or something in the city. Still never heard from her after watching the attacks.. Then since i am by the airport there are no more sounds of regular passenger planes but sounds of military jets going by in the distance. I go to make a call with my regular phone and there is no dial tone. so then i go to my cell phone and the network is down so i had no way of calling out. My phone rings and its my father so i was able to get calls in just not out i guess because i live by the airport. I tell my father to put my sister on and o me a favor and call my gf's mom to see if maybe she heard from her. She picked up and is crying hystericaly so at first i thought maybe something happened but she just didnt hear from her yet. She asked me if she knows where Raquel is and I said i didnt know and i havent heard from her yet. I then start watching it again and I notice that the towers looked like they were swaying or leaning towards the opposite ways they were going and then then it fell and i went nuts thinking my god. I then try again to use the phone and there is a dial tone so I call Raquel again still no answer i figured she wouldnt be there but you never know. I then call my grandmother to see how she is doing and if she knows whats going on. Then as I am speak to her the other tower fell. She says she lost her tv because she didnt have cable she had regular tv. So I told her and she couldnt believe it. I then hang up thinking that maybe Raquel would call. She didnt but her mom did even more upset. So then after speaking to Raquel's upset mom I hang up the phone and all of a sudden I hear this huge roar I was like there no way something going to happen here. I look out the window and its like a spy plane from the Government witht he radar on top of it. After seeing that I put on my clothes and drive to Brooklyn to Raquel's moms house. I go on the belt parkway and its fine until i get to cross bay blvd where the traffic isnt moving. They closed the highway after pennsylvania avenue for Emergency vehicles only. So I am suck in traffic with ambulances and fire engines pasing by in the left lane. Then a school bus filled with the military in it goes by and I them load their guns and lock them into position I am like great. So I go to use my phone and its still bad and I close the flip to and curse and some people in the car next to me tell me that its not the day to be bad and gave me their phone to use.. I call my parents' house tell them about traffic. While in my car I was listening to Howard Stern and he was talking about how the Palestinians were dancing in the street..That got me really pissed that they would celebrate people dying.. Anywyay so I finally get to Raquel's mom and she is all happy and asks if i want a sandwich.. Raquel called her mom and told her that she was okay but noone called me while I was on the way there for 4 and half hours and while in traffic I kept invisioning the worst to my Raquel and her sister and got worried but then thought about and knew that everything would be okay with her..So then her mom calls her sister's phone and I speak to Raquel and it was the best feeling in the world to hear her again so I went to pick her up at the train station on Avenue X. Then after going back to her parents house I went to my parents hosue in Sheepshead Bay. On the way there I notice a while bunch of papers in the air, at first i thought they were seaguls flying high but then i saw them fall down. After I parked my car I followed a big piece of paper, picked it up and it had blood al over the back of it, i put it down, but then i found more and took one home and i have saved it. Since i live by the airport I didnt want to go back yet so I slept by Raquel's parents house and went back the next day..

After feeling miserable the day before about me getting laid off. I didnt even remember the fact that i got laid off I also felt that no matter what no job is more important than life itself...