I was on my way to drop off my car to have a new convertible top installed. It took a while to figure out that what was happening in New York was not just a dreadful accident. I think when the second plane hit, the realization dawned that the events were the personification of evil beyond comprehension. By the time I reached the upholstery shop, tears made wet paths down my cheeks and left dark patches on my light blue shirt. I got out of the car and stumbled into the front office. The owner looked askance while I handed him my keys. I blubbered something about just having been listening to the radio, as if that explained the red eyes and snuffling sobs. He just stared like I was nuts, took the keys and told me the car would be ready at four.
To this day I'm sure he didn't yet know what was going on 3000 miles away. I didn't tell him. I couldn't. There were no words to explain. I don't know how the newscasters did it.
My heart goes out to all who were there; those trying to escape, those trying to help them escape, those left behind to deal with the aftermath, and to all the friends and families who suffered loss.
it was such a strange and surreal thing to watch on the TV and hear on the radio... incomprehensible really. I always think of those incredibly heroic passengers on flight 93. My thoughts are with the surviving friends and family of all victims.
ReplyDeletehttp://damselinadirtydress.blogspot.com
Hi,
ReplyDeleteDreadful day, terrible scenes from that day still vivid in my mind much the same as the day Kennedy was shot, though of course 9/11 a much greater tragedy. One cannot help but feel for those left bereft and inconsolable in seeing the tragedy unfold time and time again before their very eyes on TV.
best
F
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Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI've always considered those on flight 93 to be the most heroic of men and women. Bless them for their courage. We'll never know how many lives they saved.
Francine,
I wasn't around when Pearl Harbor was bombed. I can imagine it was the same time of stunned incomprehension.
Wendy,
Thanks for stopping by. I'm always thrilled to see your name.
It was in the afternoon, here in the UK, when it happened. I'd been writing and went downstairs for a cup of tea and a banana. I switched the TV on for 10 mins hoping to catch the end of an art programme I liked.
ReplyDeleteEvery TV channel was showing live pictures of what I thought MUST be some sort of set up; a joke; a TV trick.
And then I heard the broken voice of a broadcaster trying to 'explain' what had happened.
So very, very sad.
We must never, ever forget.
Kit,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. It makes you realize that an act of pure evil has impact around the world.
It is a relief to know that Mother Theresa did too.
When I lived in NJ I could see the towers on my way home. I use to love that drive in the winter because I could see their lights. On my 25th birthday we went to Windows on the World.
ReplyDeleteI remember driving into work numb, listening to the radio and the DJ's saying that Portland Police had checked all the bridges for bombs. I remember how quiet it was with no planes flying over. i remember the surrealness of seeing fighter jets flying over Portland.
I remember the feeling of joy when, so long after, I saw the first plane flying out of PDX.
Sharon,
ReplyDeleteI don't remember the fighter jets. They must not have flown over where I am. It certainly was a weird time. I hope it is never repeated.
It was just surreal. Nothing any of us, except maybe those witnessing the bombings of Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, could ever imagine. And I work with someone who was living in Honolulu when Pearl Harbor was attacked. When will humankind learn that killing each other doesn't solve our problems.
ReplyDeleteI live near a federal nuclear research facility and also a small airport. The night after 9-11, the only planes in the air were the fighter jets protecting the Lab, but nobody told us there would be jets flying there - that was unsettling until we figured out the jets were the good guys.
M - thanks for posting this one to give us all a chance to reflect and say a few prayers.
Kathy,
ReplyDeleteThank goodness someone thought to send up the jets to protect the lab. It would have been nice for you to know that, however.
Scary.
Thanks for your comments.