Where I Was On That Day
• news • remember me • viewed 894 times • 7 years, 5 months ago
I've seen a lot of posts regarding where one was on 9/11. I wanted to add mine...
I was at home. It was my day off, but Richard had to work. I was up early, and at the computer on Monster.com, applying for jobs. I had decided to leave the company I had been with for five years. The company that brought me up to the management level. I was finally serious about it and was very focused. Oddly enough, that was the day I first applied for the job I still hold today.
Anyway, I remember that the telephone rang. I didn't answer (I am a call screener). It was Richard's mother. She was saying "I hope you guys have the news on... You really need to put on the news... Where are you?" I did not pick up the phone. I did turn on the news. I know I called Richard right away. It all seemed so... strange.
The next day I went in to work. Everyone was telling me stories of the previous day. It turned out our store manager wouldn't let associates leave. Even after the direction was to close the store, she wanted people to stay and put out stock. People were angry, depressed, and just sad. Three associates had had family in the area, and were not even sure if they survived.
It was a weird time to working retail, those weeks after. No one was shopping. No one was at the mall. Those who did venture out were just trying to get away from the news. It was while before traffic increased again. By then I had started my new job.
My family really felt the effects of that day for a while. My mother was depressed. We did not put up the Christmas tree that year.
on 09/13 at 08:10 AM
I was at work here in Midtown Manhattan. Chris had just come off the night shift and was home watching TV. I was on the phone with my Mom at the time and when the first plane hit, I joked that I didn’t know how they could have hit it - it’s huge! Anyway, shortly afterwards, we were all gathered in the President’s office watching a teeny tiny screen and then looking up out the window and seeing the smoke. We all left shortly afterwards for an unsure walk home. All of the subways were shut down along with all bridges & tunnels. I walked over the Queensboro Bridge toward home (I’d only been in NYC for 2 months and wasn’t even sure how to get home). I couldn’t get through to Chris on the phone but no one could. I kept an eye out for him trying to head into the city to find me. Luckily, he stayed put and as soon as I walked in the door, he grabbed me and wouldn’t let go.
The days that followed were surreal and quiet with the exception of the sirens. Everywhere you went, there were fliers for missing people. I hope to never experience anything else like that in my lifetime or my children’s lifetimes.