September 11, 2001

I was working at Mark's Cleaner's when Tracy walked in and told me her husband said a plane had hit the World Trade Center. The idea of an attack was furthest from my mind. I figured it was an accident and since it was early in the morning, they'd close off a few streets, clean up the mess and have traffic back to bumper to bumper as usual.

How wrong I was. We watched the towers come down on a 9 inch black and white television. You haven't seen the video until you've seen it on a 9 inch black and white. All five of us huddeled around the tiny screen and saw the buildings come crashing down to the ground. We gasped and jumped back a bit--like when someone startles you from behind.

That evening, I did nothing but watch news programs until I went to bed. I witnessed the towers being hit and come down, over and over again until I could describe it to you in picture perfect language.

I recall gruesome tales such as the finding of a woman's charred arms still attatched to the plane's seat's arm rests, still firmly gripping them. But no woman. I could tell you in great detail what it was like watching a person fling his body from so many stories high.

Then the conspiracy theories began. I don't believe 'em. Nah. People have hated the United States since the day it founded. I took for granted the freedoms of not not having to live in a war torn country. I think every day we all take for granted that the sounds of gun fire throughout the day is actaully, not in fact, normal. Well, I guess it depends on what sort of neighborhood you live in.

Was this our home going to become like those desolate countries always featured on the news, I wondered. Would we hold up inside while tanks drove down our suburban streets on a routine basis?

No. Not likely. At least not yet. I think it was the president who once said that they can try to snuff out the light, but it will always shine. Or something to that effect.

However, I once heard someone say that Americans have the shortest memories.

How true.