story7277.xml

story7277.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-13

I?ve heard over and over again, "if you'd ask someone what they were doing at the times of the attacks, I bet they'll tell you a whole story." I agree with that. I know EXACTLY
what I was doing. I did my usual routine of my first semester of 'college life.' as usual, I was early for class. it was a computer graphics class, so the TV was almost always on.
that time, it wasn't. so I did what I usually do. go online, check my mail, and if there was anymore time, I?d sign on and see who was online. then my professor came in and turned on the TV. I looked at the screen, and then back at the computer. I mean, I didn't expect
anything. I thought, 'oh , just the news.' then, I heard the newscaster say something about the towers in nyc. that got my attention, since my mom worked in one of the towers. I was nervous, images of what had happened in the bombing a few years back suddenly popped in my head. and of course, being the optimist that I am, I figured, 'ehh, it's probably nothing.' so, I just sat there, eyes glued to the screen, confused as ever can be.
listening to the theories of the newscasters, professors, and my classmates. we all looked at each other, then back at the screen, eyes haunted with worries and unanswered questions. 'how could this be? what is this? this can't be a terrorist attack. can it? an accident? how could the pilot not see the towers?? then as we were watching this, we see something soaring directly towards the second tower.' AAHH! what the heck is that?' everyone shouted. ?that can't be another plane?!' YES! OH MY GOD!
ANOTHER PLANE!' tears started pouring down our eyes. 'IT'S AN ATTACK.' we
couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe it. I was shocked. first tower, all worries aside.
my mom works in the second tower. then when the second plane hit the second tower,
I was in a state of total shock. my friend next to me, asks me what happened, I told her what I?ve heard. shocked. she cries, my dad works there. then I thought, 'my mom works there! got to get to a phone. my cell! I dialed and dialed and dialed. NOTHING. dad. call dad. busy. busy. ring. AHH! steven call him. no answer. paranoia. my cell rings. it's KT! 'teepz, go home now! :sobbing: you?re dad received a call from your mom, she said one of the towers was hit by something, and she got cut off. your dad's trying to look for
her now. go home ....:cell phone cuts off:' I think, 'OMIGOD! she got cut off!? that's not a good sign. I looked at the screen again, tears coming down my eyes. 'I can't help this. I got to go.' I walked out of the class, weak in the knees, tears flowing down my cheeks. thinking of the worst. thinking that my mom could be gone. thinking how I just started college. how could God do such a thing. as I stepped out of the building. I tried calling my mom and dad on a payphone. NOTHING. I tried and tried on the payphone and on the cell. I look around, as I see people dropping to the floor crying. people comforting every person next to them. I see people's eyes glued to the TV, as scenes of what just happened played over and over. this was it. I was going to go home. I went to the parking lot and drove home, crying. still trying to reach my mom, dad, brother, or even cousins. I drove on rt.3 and saw what has been done. I looked to my right, to the once so beautiful new york skyline, now filled with black clouds, as if the heavens fell on new york and wrecked havoc. it truly looked like a scene from a movie, let alone a nightmare that I thought would never happen. I listened to the news on the radio the whole trip home. as I went home, I saw familiar faces, which brought me hope. we were so worried,
we haven't heard from anybody yet. tears running down our eyes, as we
watched the news, in shock. is this a movie? replays of the attack over and
over. we still couldn't believe it. then, my brother tells us my mom left a
message on the answering machine. oh what a relief that was. she told us she was fine and that she got out safely. now, the wait continues for my dad and my aunts. slowly, time flies. still watching the news, my dad steps in. OMYGOD! :hugs: where's mom?! she's with your tita loty and tita mady. a great sigh of relief. I love you
GOD! now worries of my tita gail overcome all of us at home. my tito boy and
tito chong then arrives. everyone telling their own experience. screaming, teary-
eyed, in disbelief, of what was happening with the towers and the pentagon.
it seemed like a nightmare. I overheard my dad telling them how he was trying
to run to see if my mom was okay. how he had to run away from the big cloud
that had come due to the towers collapsing. how he had to dodge it, and hide in a store. how he had seen pieces of people's bodies on the floor. how worried he was when he couldn't reach my mom. then finally my mom and tita loty came. they made us so happy. tears ran down from all of our eyes. The greatest relief I felt. I would never take my parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, family, friends, for granted. My mom then retold her story. The story I?d never forget. She said she was early for work. So she had breakfast at her desk. She felt the building shake, and she looked out the window, and saw pieces of metal falling from the air. She said she thought it was a suicide. But then again, she said how they would be able to break through the window. So she got up with her fellow workers, and started heading towards the stairs. She and some of her co-workers had gone through the bombing a few years back, and they weren't going to take another chance. So as they were heading to the stairs, my mom ran with her co-worker who was pregnant (later on she called my mom 'her hero'). But as they were going to go down, they saw an old lady (which we figure was a guardian angel), who said, 'take the elevator' which is weird, since you shouldn't be taking the elevator, at an emergency. They then reached the lobby. Another rumble. Second plane hits the second tower. All drop to the floor screaming 'OMIGOD' terrified, my mom and her co-worker run to the train, which they believed was the last train. They took it to 33rd St. what luck they have everyone said. They made it just it time. My mom said, that's when she first saw the great damage to the towers, when she got off the train and walked up the stairs to the street. She said how she was so upset. How she worked there for so long, and it has come to this. Now I?m so thankful for everyone who has been there for me through all this. You all made me strong and helped me realize how precious life is. God bless their souls, and those who they left behind. We will always remember.