On September 11, 2001 at 8:46 am, my late husband & I were in a Holiday Inn bed in Atlanta, Georgia; our last morning visiting our daughter & family before we'd take that long drive back home to Sarasota, Florida.
Our plan was to eat breakfast, Checkout & see our daughter for a few minutes; right before we got on the road. As I dressed for breakfast, I turned the TV on to check the weather & catch a few minutes of Regis or a Georgian facsimile.
It was at that moment that I saw a plane had flown into some building in New York City. Right away, I dismissed it because a week before some other guy pulled a prank like that at the Statue of Liberty.
While waiting for our usual, 2 Eggs, Crisp Bacon & Biscuits at "The Cracker Barrel"; we overheard a conversation our Waitress was having; something about a plane. Didn't catch it all & per usual; I was so ravenous - I was hoping she'd shut up & just get me my breakfast!
When we got back to our Motel to finish packing; I turned on the TV. Shocked & stunned - what my eyes once saw as a Prank; turned into an Apocalypse. Trying to process this - we rushed to our daughter & then drove home in a void; but for Radio Images. We didn't usually get our news from the Radio - but this day - this is all we got!
For the 8-10 hours it took to drive to Florida - only Bathroom Breaks, Stretches & Forced Feeding kept us from our Car Radio. It was our lifeline & we were riveted!
Along the way, we saw big banners people were holding up for motorists to see. Inspiring. Heartfelt. Patriotic. "PRAY FOR NEW YORKERS"! "GOD BLESS AMERICA"! and so many more. We couldn't get home any faster!
Always quiet in the car; this time he stared at the road & I stared at the Radio - repulsed, angered, fearful, sad & spent; all the way home. From one Commentator to the next & the next; we were on tenterhooks - waiting for the next shoe to drop.
Words. Words are powerful! And I finally heard enough - Smoke, Fire, Crash, Choking, Trapped, Jumping, Missing - Dead!
"One Plane, Two Planes, a Third Plane & a Fourth"!
"1st Tower, 2nd Tower, Pentagon & Shanksville"!
"Hijackers, al Qaeda, Victims & Survivors"!
As Dusk turned to Dark - our Radio was tired & so were we. But like a dog coming in from his run; I ran from our car & flung open our front door & turned on the TV.
Tears dropped down my cheeks like dew from a rose; as I finally saw what I didn't really want to see. Out of the ashes; came a new world for us all.
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
V.Corso
OS Weekend Fiction Club
Thoth
Blinddream
Procopius
Rob St. Amant
Salon.com
Comments
Thank you so much for posting this post!
I have very, very, VERY mixed feelings about all the media hype about 9/11/11 but that's too long a just ?"me me me"? tale or thread for a comment here. ?"Suffice it to say"? I have a long argument with the media per se ... and the unacknowledged (or unstraightened-out?) power of The Fourth Estate -- not acknowledged or described in the Constitution (which is now being bandied about as Prime Document in political wars between those who want to site it vs. those who want to site a "religious bible").
Me, I've been hoping I can just get through what I've been calling the this year's "Guns of August" days and make it to this first day of this year's September.
I do keep coming to Open Salon at moments of ... what? Uncertainty? Des;pair? Or -- for your line that I also love -- a sense of humor?!
Thanks so much for posting, this first day of this year's September month.
You're the first OS-er I happened to find today and today (for me) started long, slow; contemplative; uncertain.
Looking forward to learning more of you, these almost autumn days!
Is this the current form (and forum) of or for "participatory democracy"??
OY.
R, R!