story10743.xml

story10743.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2004-08-10

September 11th 2001, is a day that changed my life. I will never forget that day, I can replay it second by second in my head over and over again, sometimes I don't even try to, it just happens. Is it selfish of me to feel so affected by this tragedy, I lost no one directly, yes my friends cousin was a heroic fireman who lost his life and my moms friends brother perrished as well, in fact, I do know of 7 people personally that died in the face of this horrific act. I remember that morning so intensly as my then three year old son jumped on my bed complaing he was hungry yet the child growing inside of my was draining my energy, I couldn't pull myself up. I wanted just a few more minutes of "peace". Then as I watched the Today show the tragedy started to unfold before my very eyes. My husband worked for the Long Island Railroad in the track department, he could be working anywhere from Manhattan to Montauk. When the first plane hit I had to call him. It was a Tuesday morning just days earlier we sat at a Bar and Grill inside the towers that we enjoyed. Our friend worked in the towers and introduced us to it. Since the Saturday before we had a party to go to in Manhattan we decieded to make a day of it visiting our favorite spots. I called him not because I thought the face of our world was forever changing but because I thought,wow we were just there. As I spoke to him the second plane hit. I'll never forget his words," We are getting attacked." Could we be? No Way, not the USA. He delivered the news from me to the other 15 guys in his gang. Now as they reflect on the events of September 11th they recall it was me who first delivered the news to them. As reality hit and then yet another plane went down panic set in. My grandmother 75 years old worked across the street and my two very best friends worked there! Where were they. The phone calls started I began using my house phone and my cell phone at the same time calling all three of them over and over and over again. The minutes felt like hours, the hours felt like days. I would do anything to hear their voices. As I kept getting there voicemails horrible thoughts kept entering my head. Where they buried under the rubble, were they alive, hearing the phone ring unable to get to answer as they lay dying? I kept thinking the child inside of me would one day be learning about this horrible day in history class. I thank God often that my grandmother and friend made it out alive. Although we never heard from my grandmother until the next day but she was able to get a message to us through a stranger. I guess really there were no strangers that day. She gave a store owner in Manhattan a piece of paper that said only my mothers phone number, her name and the message I am safe, I am alive and I am stuck on Manhattan, I will call you asap but know I am okay. I went to work that afternoon, I worked at a doctors office, as most business were closing as a result of the events unfolding around us, they had to stay open. The phones kept ringing. Patients whose love ones were missing were hysterical they needed valium, well what they really needed where their loved ones, but unfortunatley that option was not available. Living so about 35-40 miles from manhattan you could smell fire in the air, fighter jets flew over head and you could sense the world would never be the same. I am so proud of the way Americans came together during the events of September 11th and I am proud to be an American. God Bless you All!!!!