Tuesday September 11
At 8:00am I called in sick to work on Tuesday September 11, 2001. I had an unusual bout of anxiety, but decided to spend the day running errands. At 8:50, I took my cat to the vet, noticing out of my Brooklyn apartment window, a black cloud in the sky. I didn’t think much of it and continued on with one of the most beautiful mornings we’ve had in weeks.
I got on the bus and noticed dozens of people looking towards Manhattan. A guy got on the bus saying a plane had hit the World Trade Center. I, of course, figured that some idiot dented it with their crop duster-type plane or helicopter. How could you hit it? It’s huge! And everybody knows it’s there!
When I was on Grand Street waiting for the vet to open, many Brooklynites and myself stood and watched the first tower burn. I called my roommate, Eric, who was watching from our window—the twin towers were the only view of Manhattan we had. It seemed eerie, but I really didn’t believe it was anything big.
I dropped off my cat when the second plane went through. I dialed over and over again on my cell trying to get my mom on the phone. She had been calling me at home, work and on my cell but all circuits were busy. New York had been hit by what everyone knew deep down were terrorists, apparent from the second strike. My other roommate, John (also a USM alum) was right next door to the WTC. I freaked out, called his work phone repeatedly trying to get through, and raced home.
I thought of how, despite his instincts, he was a good Knoxville boy that would try to help everyone in sight instead of leaving. I had horrible visions of him getting caught in it somehow. But then, a block away from our apartment, I saw him walking home. He said that he felt the impacts and saw a burning jet engine in the street. He did stay behind to get everybody off the floor of his building, but booked out of downtown since there was no mistake the intentions of these maniacs were to destroy the financial epicenter of (what some may claim) the world.
We went home and all three of us stood in windowsills and watched them collapse, one by one. I was glued. In retrospect, I realize how sick the site was to be seen in person. But it was one of those things you just couldn’t tear yourself away from. And honestly, up until now New York and I really weren’t getting a long. But nothing like a tragedy to bring old friends together.