story6136.xml

story6136.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-12

It was my first day at a new insurance job. As I was introduced to my new coworkers, a rumor started to ripple through the office that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. At first we thought it was a Cessna type plane that had engine trouble of some sort, but that notion was quickly and heartbreakingly lost as the magnitude of the event was heard on the desk radios of the staff. We huddled in the conference room, my new office mates and I, clutching each other as we watched the horror unfold. About 20 minutes later I learned that the son of one of our principals was taking a class at Smith Barney that morning. I didn't know him, but the rest of the staff was shaken with what was surely devastating news. Later that morning, in the midst of the shock and mind-numbing grief we collectively felt, we got the news that this young man had spontaneously gone down to a street vendor to grab some breakfast, and was spared what would have been a horrific fate. I can only imagine the relief his family felt, and wish so many other family members of innocent victims had been so lucky. We are closer and kinder to each other for having shared the experiencing of witnessing such an unbelievably painful event.