911

I will never forget Tuesday, September 11, 2001. A normal day until Shannon called me at work to tell me a helicopter or something had crashed into on of the World Trade Center towers. He was not doing so well at the time, and called me at work just to hear a warm voice on the other end of the line when he was anxious.

I don’t remember how events unfolded that day—whether he called me after the second plane hit or if I was watching it on TV. I don’t remember exactly when I found a TV or when I started watching.

What I remember is that Margaret called payroll in early because she was afraid the banks would close and people wouldn’t get paid on time. I kept her updated on the news while she worked away. I pulled up a map of Afghanistan so we could both figure out where in the hell it was.

Within a short time, the TV got moved to an unoccupied office so that everyone could come and go as they pleased, but still keep up with what was going on. It was mostly standing room only.

And I don’t remember whether it was the first tower or the second that fell and I saw it on the TV screen from down the hall. All I remember is running towards it screaming “Nooooooooooo.”

Daniel, my assistant, paced around wondering if there would be a war. He was young and confused. I told him that “Yes, there will be a war. There has to be. There’s no other option. This is as big as Pearl Harbor.”

The rest of the day is a blur. We closed up early with the caveat that the next day would be business as usual. That I do remember.

But I mostly remember riding home on the bus that was unnaturally quiet. No one said anything. They were all in shock, just like me.

When I got home, Shannon met me at the door. He’d been waiting for me to get home ever since it started.

We hugged and cried and thanked God for both of us still being here.

There are so many things that I don’t remember as far as what happened when, but the images of that day are burned into me in such a way that I will take them to my grave.

We all take baggage into the here-after, and we can and should thank God that he isn’t as fussy as the airlines have come to be. Our checked luggage doesn’t have to fit into one of those little bins where He’s concerned.

I’ll take that day with me when I exit this earth. I don’t see a way to unload it or a reason that I should.