story9538.xml
Title
story9538.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2003-09-10
911DA Story: Story
September 11, 2001 didn't start out as a normal morning. I was in a Washington DC suburb.
My partner of 13 years and I had just split and my best friend was having surgery that morning, for what we feared to be cancer. I had stayed with he and his family in Bowie, Maryland the night before and we arrived at Doctor's at around 7:30 a.m. for his surgery prep. We were all nervous, knowing that day we would learn his fate. We sat in the waiting room, watching a morning news show (cbs, nbc, fox? ... that part is still a blur). I was trying to concentrate on the show, but my mind kept wandering to my friend and my own recent loss. The nurse came out and said we could come back with my friend until he was ready for surgery. At that time I looked up at the television and there were already cameras on the first tower. People were saying that a small plane had hit the tower. I thought of the bomber that hit the Empire State Building back during WWII, but was a bit puzzled. I knew that New York was covered in fog back then and it was an unusually clear day that day. Nonetheless, I told myself it was just an accident. As I walked in to the pre-surgical ward my thoughts turned to my friend. We told him that there appeared to be a fire in one of the towers of the World Trade Center. Since he was already upset about the impending surgery, we changed the subject to lighter things. It seemed that it was taking so long, so I went back out into the waiting room for a cup of coffee. As I walked into the waiting room people gasped as the second plane struck. I thought, surely, there must be some mistake. I went out to get my coffee and tried to call my office in Hagerstown, Maryland for messages. My cell phone was not working, so I used a pay telephone in the lobby. Having found no messages, I went back into the waiting room. A lady sitting there looked at me and said that one of the towers had collapsed. I passed it off as rumor ? my mind just wouldn?t believe that such a thing could happen. I had been in those buildings dozens of times on business and had stayed at the Vista Hotel at the base of the towers on numerous occasions. There was just NO way that it could be true! As I had stood at the base of the towers I had been amazed at their strength. They just COULD NOT fall.
The next few minutes are really a blur. I know someone mentioned that a plane had hit the Pentagon and that bombs were going off around DC. I went back in to see my friend off to surgery. At that point he was groggy and there was no conversation of the carnage unraveling on television. I went back out to the waiting room just as the second tower fell ? As I watched it wasn?t disbelief ? it was as if my mind just WOULDN?T believe it. They re-ran footage of the first tower going down. It was all so surreal. I know now that I was, to a certain extent, in a state of shock.
Finally, after what seemed like an hour (probably minutes in reality) it all began to sink in. I knew that my ex worked in the District and often traveled around the area of the Pentagon. I grabbed my cell phone and went outside. I was struck at how beautiful the weather was. My mind kept telling me ?Look at that clear blue sky ? there is nothing happening ? this is just a dream?. I even remember consciously pinching myself, in hopes that I would wake up and it would all prove to be a figment of my rather vivid imagination.
By this time there were doctors, nurses, attendants all outside trying to make calls on their cell phones. We all stood there, occasionally glancing at each other but not saying a word. All their faces had no expression. Since my service was still not working, I went back inside and borrowed the cell phones from my friend?s wife and his dad. I had three cell phones, trying to contact my ex. I finally got through to find him in a complete panic. He was stuck on the Virginia side of the Washington beltway and was terrified of the next attack. He told me to go to an ATM, take out as much money as it would give me and fill up my car with gas. I spent sometime calming him down and decided that his advise had some merit.
By this time my friend was in surgery, so I grabbed his wife and we went in search of a gas station. The roads were eerily empty and peaceful in contrast to the horror and panic I was feeling (although trying to hide). We searched for what seemed like miles for a gas station and finally found one ? next to a bank with an ATM. While she pumped the gas I took out money. I vividly remember standing at the ATM machine and starting to panic. Tears began to stream down my face. I was shaking so much I couldn?t get my secret number right. This was NOT the time to lose my card in a machine, I told myself. I finally got my money, took a deep breath and went back to my car. My friend?s wife and I got in the car and started back to the hospital. It occurred to me that we hadn?t even turned on the radio on the way over. I turned on the radio and, silently, we traveled back to the hospital, all the while hearing about the horror that was taking place; some only a few miles from us.
Guards had put up barriers around the entrance from which he had exited. I didn?t think twice about driving around them. The guard looked at me and just nodded. My panic was beginning to turn into determination and, much to my surprise, anger. We went back into the waiting room. Some people had tears in their eyes. Aside form the occasional gasp, the room was silent. There were everyday announcements being made over the hospital speaker system, which seemed to mock what was going on around us. We all just watched as they replayed footage, some of it showing people dropping from the towers. I was just numb.
The doctor finally came out and said the surgery had gone well, but that he was 90% sure that he had removed a cancerous mass. My mind was, at that point, in an entire state of confusion. Mayor Juliani put it best later when he said that ?it was more than we could bear?.
My friend came out of surgery and we were escorted back to the post-surgical section. They had a television set up and my friend was sitting alone, crying. I went to him, thinking that he was upset at what he saw on television. It turns out he was just suffering the effects of the anesthesia. He had no idea what was going on. He looked at me through his teary eyes and asked ?was it cancer??. For a fleeting moment I thought ?there are people dying by the thousands out there; is it REALLY important???. But I composed myself and told him that it was likely so. We both began to weep. As I was holding him I could tell he was watching the television and that it was starting to sink in with him. The next few hours are just a blur. My mind has chosen to archive that time.
My real reason for my writing is something which occurred on the way home to Bowie, Maryland. We had put my friend in the car and were on our way home. My friend began to yell that he was going to be sick and asked me to pull over. We were in a residential area and I kept looking for somewhere ?secluded?. It became obvious that I didn?t have the luxury of time to find a place and I pulled into someone?s front yard. As my friend regurgitated, two people came out of the front door. I thought surely they would be aggravated, thinking perhaps that he was a drunk, messing up their front yard. To my amazement one of them put their hand on my friend?s shoulder and the husband put a hand on my shoulder. I explained to them that he had just had surgery. They smiled and said ?we all need to stick together now. God bless America?. I knew at that moment that everything was going to be OK. I have never had such a feeling of solidarity in all my life. I will never forget those wonderful people and how they, along with the events of that day, have changed my life forever.
Thank you for the opportunity to share this.
My partner of 13 years and I had just split and my best friend was having surgery that morning, for what we feared to be cancer. I had stayed with he and his family in Bowie, Maryland the night before and we arrived at Doctor's at around 7:30 a.m. for his surgery prep. We were all nervous, knowing that day we would learn his fate. We sat in the waiting room, watching a morning news show (cbs, nbc, fox? ... that part is still a blur). I was trying to concentrate on the show, but my mind kept wandering to my friend and my own recent loss. The nurse came out and said we could come back with my friend until he was ready for surgery. At that time I looked up at the television and there were already cameras on the first tower. People were saying that a small plane had hit the tower. I thought of the bomber that hit the Empire State Building back during WWII, but was a bit puzzled. I knew that New York was covered in fog back then and it was an unusually clear day that day. Nonetheless, I told myself it was just an accident. As I walked in to the pre-surgical ward my thoughts turned to my friend. We told him that there appeared to be a fire in one of the towers of the World Trade Center. Since he was already upset about the impending surgery, we changed the subject to lighter things. It seemed that it was taking so long, so I went back out into the waiting room for a cup of coffee. As I walked into the waiting room people gasped as the second plane struck. I thought, surely, there must be some mistake. I went out to get my coffee and tried to call my office in Hagerstown, Maryland for messages. My cell phone was not working, so I used a pay telephone in the lobby. Having found no messages, I went back into the waiting room. A lady sitting there looked at me and said that one of the towers had collapsed. I passed it off as rumor ? my mind just wouldn?t believe that such a thing could happen. I had been in those buildings dozens of times on business and had stayed at the Vista Hotel at the base of the towers on numerous occasions. There was just NO way that it could be true! As I had stood at the base of the towers I had been amazed at their strength. They just COULD NOT fall.
The next few minutes are really a blur. I know someone mentioned that a plane had hit the Pentagon and that bombs were going off around DC. I went back in to see my friend off to surgery. At that point he was groggy and there was no conversation of the carnage unraveling on television. I went back out to the waiting room just as the second tower fell ? As I watched it wasn?t disbelief ? it was as if my mind just WOULDN?T believe it. They re-ran footage of the first tower going down. It was all so surreal. I know now that I was, to a certain extent, in a state of shock.
Finally, after what seemed like an hour (probably minutes in reality) it all began to sink in. I knew that my ex worked in the District and often traveled around the area of the Pentagon. I grabbed my cell phone and went outside. I was struck at how beautiful the weather was. My mind kept telling me ?Look at that clear blue sky ? there is nothing happening ? this is just a dream?. I even remember consciously pinching myself, in hopes that I would wake up and it would all prove to be a figment of my rather vivid imagination.
By this time there were doctors, nurses, attendants all outside trying to make calls on their cell phones. We all stood there, occasionally glancing at each other but not saying a word. All their faces had no expression. Since my service was still not working, I went back inside and borrowed the cell phones from my friend?s wife and his dad. I had three cell phones, trying to contact my ex. I finally got through to find him in a complete panic. He was stuck on the Virginia side of the Washington beltway and was terrified of the next attack. He told me to go to an ATM, take out as much money as it would give me and fill up my car with gas. I spent sometime calming him down and decided that his advise had some merit.
By this time my friend was in surgery, so I grabbed his wife and we went in search of a gas station. The roads were eerily empty and peaceful in contrast to the horror and panic I was feeling (although trying to hide). We searched for what seemed like miles for a gas station and finally found one ? next to a bank with an ATM. While she pumped the gas I took out money. I vividly remember standing at the ATM machine and starting to panic. Tears began to stream down my face. I was shaking so much I couldn?t get my secret number right. This was NOT the time to lose my card in a machine, I told myself. I finally got my money, took a deep breath and went back to my car. My friend?s wife and I got in the car and started back to the hospital. It occurred to me that we hadn?t even turned on the radio on the way over. I turned on the radio and, silently, we traveled back to the hospital, all the while hearing about the horror that was taking place; some only a few miles from us.
Guards had put up barriers around the entrance from which he had exited. I didn?t think twice about driving around them. The guard looked at me and just nodded. My panic was beginning to turn into determination and, much to my surprise, anger. We went back into the waiting room. Some people had tears in their eyes. Aside form the occasional gasp, the room was silent. There were everyday announcements being made over the hospital speaker system, which seemed to mock what was going on around us. We all just watched as they replayed footage, some of it showing people dropping from the towers. I was just numb.
The doctor finally came out and said the surgery had gone well, but that he was 90% sure that he had removed a cancerous mass. My mind was, at that point, in an entire state of confusion. Mayor Juliani put it best later when he said that ?it was more than we could bear?.
My friend came out of surgery and we were escorted back to the post-surgical section. They had a television set up and my friend was sitting alone, crying. I went to him, thinking that he was upset at what he saw on television. It turns out he was just suffering the effects of the anesthesia. He had no idea what was going on. He looked at me through his teary eyes and asked ?was it cancer??. For a fleeting moment I thought ?there are people dying by the thousands out there; is it REALLY important???. But I composed myself and told him that it was likely so. We both began to weep. As I was holding him I could tell he was watching the television and that it was starting to sink in with him. The next few hours are just a blur. My mind has chosen to archive that time.
My real reason for my writing is something which occurred on the way home to Bowie, Maryland. We had put my friend in the car and were on our way home. My friend began to yell that he was going to be sick and asked me to pull over. We were in a residential area and I kept looking for somewhere ?secluded?. It became obvious that I didn?t have the luxury of time to find a place and I pulled into someone?s front yard. As my friend regurgitated, two people came out of the front door. I thought surely they would be aggravated, thinking perhaps that he was a drunk, messing up their front yard. To my amazement one of them put their hand on my friend?s shoulder and the husband put a hand on my shoulder. I explained to them that he had just had surgery. They smiled and said ?we all need to stick together now. God bless America?. I knew at that moment that everything was going to be OK. I have never had such a feeling of solidarity in all my life. I will never forget those wonderful people and how they, along with the events of that day, have changed my life forever.
Thank you for the opportunity to share this.
Collection
Citation
“story9538.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 10, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/16539.