Posted By Kathleen David on September 11, 2016
I am going to talk about the events that happened 15 years ago today. I give everyone and anyone a free pass to not read what I am writing.
15 years ago was a Tuesday. I went into work at Del Rey like usual. It was a crisp clear day with a feeling of fall in the air. There was one point in the train ride into the city and only at that point I could see the Twin Towers which I did that day. They looked pretty against the stark blue sky. That was the last time I saw them standing with my eye.
When the first plane hit, we thought it was a small plane and didn’t think much of it. The promotions department turned on their TV which was the only on the floor. I put on NPR on my computer. It was terrible that the plane had crashed into the Tower. We had no idea what was going to happen next.
The second plane hit the second tower about 15 minutes later. By that point we knew something was seriously wrong. Most of the floor was crowed into marketing and promotions. I stuck to my NPR feed which about 20 minutes later talked about a plane crashing into the Pentagon. Then an hour and half almost from the initial hit, a plane crashed in Pennsylvania rather than into the Capitol building which was its target.
The city shut down for a time. There was no in or out. Traffic was stopped. Various departments at Ballentine books were scrambling to find places for people to stay overnight.
I was trying to find out what happened to one of our editors who had flown out for a book conference that morning. His wife contacted me via email that he was safe and stuck in the Midwest as every plane in the country was grounded.
Cell phones were pretty much useless because most of the cell towers were on top of the twin towers. I managed to get a call to Peter that I was OK before the cell service vanished. I don’t remember if I got in touch with my mother via phone or email, all I know is that I did tell her I was fine.
My computer feed to NPR was the only one on the floor so people were coming by and listening to the news. Radio was also on top of the twin towers.
Eventually they re-opened the subway system to go out of Manhattan. You could come in if you were a first responder but those personal were the only ones allowed in.
It was a long walk to the subway since only a few lines were open and none that went through Wall Street. I went with the Del Rey Art Director and his very pregnant wife. We managed to squeeze onto a train that would take us to Jamaica where we could get a train out to our places on the Island.
I got home and hugged Peter and the girls.
I didn’t go back in for a week.
The long term for me of what happened that day was that I lost a job that I dearly loved due to what happened to the economy afterwards.
We talk about events that change our lives. What happened to me 15 years ago is something that I am never going to forget. Like my parents never forgot where they were when JFK was shot.
Interestingly it is history to Caroline. She was not even a twinkle in her father’s eye when it happened.
Since then I have tried to do a good deed on this day or this week in memory of all those who didn’t make it through the day and all those who were effected by it.
15 years seems like a long time but it still feels like yesterday as well.
I am going to stay off the Internet and the local channels today. I am going to do laundry and take care of things around my house. I am going to live my life as normally as I can for those who can no longer do it.
I am grateful for getting home that day fifteen years ago.
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