9/11 Readers’ Theatre

I walked up to the school on the hill; that great monstrous thing stuck out like a sore thumb in the

middle of the hood.

I hadn’t heard anything about what had happened that morning and neither had anyone else.

Nobody talked about it before class. Instead, the halls were filled with moans and groans of the

assignment due the next week on Homer’s The Odyssey.

Our freshman class could have cared less about what happened in New York that day.

I don’t think that it was spite or insensitivity, but that we could not cognitively absorb the gravity

of the situation. It was simply beyond us.

As soon as I walked into English class, our teacher hurried us into our seats because she had

“something grave that must be discussed.”

Many students joked and laughed as she expelled the truth about the intentional plane crash

attacks on the twin towers. I sat in silence, my heart beating furiously in my chest. A surreal wave

came over me, and my teacher’s voice sounded like the teacher in “The Peanuts” cartoon.

Wooomp woomp woooooomp womp. “Yes, Miss, I hear what you’ve said, but I can’t grasp what

this means for us a nation.” The impending endless years of hate-filled violent rage and flag-

waving fools, the allowance of blind patriotism, the lasting effects of such would creep up on my

heart slowly like some sort of dormant virus, ready to attack me in my adult years. At the time I

first heard about the attacks, I wanted to care, but I didn’t know what there was to care about

expect the striking grief that I felt as I watched the people on TV tumbling head first out of the

windows. Annie

I was up early. Unreasonably early, but I wanted to get to the city.

If I were to wait much longer, the lines would be too long to grab my sandwich.

I really enjoyed my days off. Not too many people get Tuesday and Thursday off and I was

mostly left to experience the city streets while everyone was at work.

It gave an interesting perspective of the city. It was a good time.

I had hopped off my subway train and walked 8:33AM. Eugh

Sitting in line for an hour would have made this breakfast awful.

I slipped my Gameboy in my pocket and walked up the street.

Hey, maybe they’ll throw in the cheese for free. I’m a regular, right?

Yeah. Right.

A quick hustle and I’m in line. Out the door, naturally.

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But hey, more business means they stick around. They can fry an egg much better than the people

who owned this--

A loud crash. “What? What’s going on?” Everyone in lines steps outside to see what was going

on. I hear the glass and debris hit the ground, the sound coming up the way.

Smoke was coming from the World Trade Center.

A bomb? In the World Trade Center?

I see a guy running from that direction. Then a few more people.

One guys yells “Y’all should get out of here! A plane just flew into the World Trade Center!”

A plane? Like, an accident? What happened that the plane just crashes into a building like that?

I’m not sticking around to find out what happened though.

I started running. I don’t know where, but anywhere out of the area.

I was almost halfway through the city when the second plane hit.

This was no fucking accident.

I wonder what Giuliani's gonna say about this one. Eduardo

The Dog House on Wild 949 begins their show. This radio station is set as our alarm to wake up

in the morning. It was our little ritual listening to this radio segment involving prank calls and

silly vulgar skits to begin our mornings. My parents hardly spoke English, so they didn’t

understand anything these DJs were saying. My brother and I woke from the bed. It was a bit

chilly, so I was in same bed snuggled next to him.

“Dude get the hell off me! How old are you, ten? Go lay with mom!”

“This is Elvis! “Good morning listeners and for those just tuning in!

We have breaking news about some planes hitting the World Trade Center. People turn on your

TV and watch this. There is also breaking news at the state capitol. Bro today is gonna be a long

day!”

“Yo JV, we don’t know anyone working the Trade Buildings do we? This is mental so

effing crazy man. Who are these hijackers? Are they even hijackers?

“JV, should we start on first skit dude?

“I am so blindsided. Maybe we should take some callers?”

I lie in bed listening to the baffled DJs while my brother takes his shower. The time read 6:30.

What is a hijacker? Anton

I was late to work that day—that horrific and nauseating day.

It was earlier in the morning and I had turned back to return to my apartment to grab my

documents for a meeting later on.

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After getting all of my things together, I took off once again.

As I made my way to the bridge, there was a halt in traffic.

Like sitting in a parking lot—unable to move.

People were getting out of their cars

and walking over to the side of the bridge, so, I did too. I looked out over the water and saw

smoke emanating from the Towers.

The behemoth structures were being watched by everyone.

Then, a plane ripped through the open sky and slammed into one of the towers,

Causing them to collapse.

Everyone ran and screamed in a maniacal frenzy.

I fought my way through the crowd and continued towards the towers.

I had to see it for myself—I was in disbelief—this couldn’t be real.

Standing at ground zero, I watched—smoke filled the air making it difficult to breathe—

suffocating anyone in the vicinity; EMTs hastily scrambled around the area; and the bodies—the

bodies of those who perished littered the rubble in front of me and it finally sunk in—

This was real—very real. Jordan

9/11 was uneventful.

A plane hitting a building.

It wasn’t a big deal.

It was happening somewhere else.

It was happening on TV.

So I didn’t care.

It wasn’t real.

Like scary movies, what did it matter?

Just fictionalized blood and guts

As far as I was concerned.

I didn’t see why it should influence me.

Did I even know where New York was?

Another universe perhaps…?

My world didn’t have to stop.

I was safe; I wasn’t in New York.

Danger was happening somewhere else.

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Danger was happening on TV. Beverly

I look at the mess of bodies underneath the rubble. They are scattered under heavy material of the

two buildings and the plane crash aftermath. It is a horrific sight. Adults, kids, limbs, blood,

gashes, some conscious and some aren’t. I need to look for survivors. This looks pretty bad. I

have to find those who are still breathing. Is anyone even alive? Jesus Christ. A man peeks under

from the dust and debris. He’s struggling to move his body and makes a clattering sound. “Hey!”

I called out to my colleagues of EMTs. “Over here!” I move past the crumble of what used to be

walls and move to the man. “Hi sir,” I calmly say. “Things are going to be all right. We’ll get you

out of here.” Charlene

Today is a great day. I am so excited! My teacher has told us many times that soon we will go to

the President's home. They will show us rooms and pictures. I have passed his house many times,

but never been invited. I hope we can play on his lawn. It is very big. I wave at the house from

the outside every time that I walk by it. It will be such fun to wave at the people on the street

from the inside.

* * *

We had to go home in a big hurry. It was very scary. There were so many people and cars and

loud noises. Like the big Christmas parade. But it was not a happy parade. It was very sad. And I

just wanted to be home with my mother. Away from all the noise and crying faces. I thought only

kids cried.

* * *

At home my mother and father sit on the couch, close. The TV is on; the volume is loud. My

mommy always tells me to turn down the sound when I am watching cartoons. But today, the

sound is loud, and Mommy and Daddy are silent.

* * *

I watch an airplane hit a tower. There is another tower just like it. They are the same. I can tell

when things are the same or when they are different. There is a lot of smoke. I wonder why my

parents like this show. I have seen this picture before.

* * *

My doll has a small TV. On the TV is a picture of the two towers. The TV that my doll watches

never changes channels. She must like this show too. But I do not. I do not like it at all. I take my

black marker and color over the picture of the two towers on my doll's TV. Now her TV is off. I

wish my mommy and daddy would turn our TV off.

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I know I am not supposed to use marker on my toys. That is what my mommy said when I

colored purple shoes on my doll. I know it will be like this forever. It can't be changed.

Bethany

I was six

I was in second grade

But my teacher took us into the classroom of my first grade teacher

Because our room didn’t have a TV and anyway

On the loud speaker the principal asked classes to double up.

I didn’t know what for

But I was happy to see her again.

I was six

I was in second grade

But I was so young; those days are hazy and

I only realized it was second grade I was in, not first.

Because I counted on my fingers just before writing this

Because I could not remember about another day that lives in infamy.

What I do remember is, it was my parents’ anniversary,

They were planning to go out to dinner, leave us

with our neighbors.

When I got home, we dressed in our best and

my parents took my sister and me to the restaurant instead where

everybody turned to stare at us, happy and laughing, my sister and I.

I didn’t get it, but grown-ups were weird, so I ignored them.

My parents never told us what happened. The only thing I learned

immediately

was that Disneyland was soooo empty, my cousin told me. “I thought

there were going to be fireworks,” he said.

Airplanes were not allowed for some reason, so they drove.

Later I learned what happened but

I was six so explanations from grown-ups weren’t helpful.

What’s a world trade center? What’s a terrorist?

I was almost nine.

5

I was in fourth grade.

I was used to people giving my parents dirty looks when we tried to

celebrate something good in America, in my parents’ meeting.

What I wasn’t used to was

Garrett H bothering new kids, trying

to get them to think

he was cool.

Instead, Iranian/Iraqi Boshra

was taunted and

no adult stepped in this time

to tell him off and correct him.

I am twenty-two

I am almost done with college

I read the news, all perspectives.

The culprits of that day caused the towers to fall.

But I wonder if it was only them bringing the country down. Nichelle

I was in class when it happened.

One moment Ms. Johnson was teaching,

the next Mr. Rosewood had burst

in, telling her to turn on the classroom

TV, and there was a building,

burning. The caption said the

Twin Towers were struck by a plane.

Ms. Johnson went to talk to

Mr. Rosewood at the back of

the class. I couldn’t hear what

they were saying. They seemed

to forget about us, just watching

the TV and talking. And then

there was a plane, and

it crashed into the other building

as we all watched. Why did the

plane crash?

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We were sent home early that

day. Caitlin

9/11: Fireman

I was sitting, playing cards with my fellow cohorts at the fire station. Benny had just won again

as we threw our cards down on to the table. We all knew Benny cheated at cards; I mean how can

someone win three times in a row? As Benny wrapped his arms around our winnings, or should I

say his winnings, a loud ringing sounded through the fire station. It indicated that a call had been

made, and someone needed our help. I quickly grabbed my money from the table as I ran over to

the pole. I heard Benny yell after me as I slid down, wanting his money that he won fair and

square. I pretended not to hear him as I went to change into my gear. Every time the alarm

sounded, adrenaline would pump through my veins as I went through every training procedure in

my head when I first started out. My first and only thought is “Would I ever see my family

again?”

Ellen

I remember going home

then the sounds of sirens

filling the streets

police cars, fire trucks

the endless cars coming

and going

hundreds of people

running

smoke filled the air

dust filled the streets

I couldn’t see

I couldn’t breathe

I ran as fast as I could

but it wasn’t fast enough

I woke up in a hospital

to the cries of my mother

I didn’t know what was going on

until she turned on the TV. Angela

7

I was picking at my shoe

when the teacher gathered

all us small children round

on the floor

where he told us the Twin Towers had fallen

and tragedy struck

But I wasn’t listening.

It would be many years later

before I learned

the terror of two planes crashing,

crushing anything and anyone in the way,

the terrible heat and flames

as victims struggled to escape the ruins,

the colossal dust that coated the city

as those trembling towers collapsed

the fear in the eyes of the passengers,

as they watched their plane plunge,

and in the eyes of countless Americans and Muslims

waiting for what would happen next. Brandon

“World Trade Center, please, and step on it.

I’ll give you an extra $5 for every

red light you pass. I’m running late.”

But there was no way to hurry

against the New York traffic.

All I wanted was to tell my buddies

about this bridge and tunnel girl

I met last night.

How her hair fell down her shoulders

like nothing mattered. I guess

her hair was right. Nothing matters.

Not in this country, land of the free

land of the now smoke, fire, and debris.

Not even life or the lives of

others. Or does it matter a lot more

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right now? To live for the ones who don’t

anymore.

Who does it matter to

anymore? Miguel

When Linda called me at 7:23 a.m.,

waking me up after what she knew had been for me

an exhausting night of drinking and dancing,

knowing full well that there was a young man in my bed,

I was annoyed.

When I noticed the terror-filled urgency in her tone

as she asked if Lawrence’s presentation in New York

was today.

I was curious.

When I turned on the TV and saw the smoky rubble

as my world began to spin

and I dropped the phone

and the man in my bed whose name I can’t recall

asked me what was wrong, why I was crying,

as I shoved him away and I fell on the floor,

I was terrified.

I was sick.

It wasn’t until about an hour ago that the irony

and the guilt began to set in. Now that combination

is the sickest feeling of them all. Tyler

Finally, school was out

Waiting for my mom outside with all the other kids

Waiting…waiting…

There she is!

I hop in the car as I usually do

too short to grab the handhold on the roof,

instead pulling myself up on the seat

I slam the door, ready to go home

9

Mom is on the phone

“It’s been all over the news,” said my mom.

I tune out, looking out the window instead

Can’t wait to see my cat

maybe munch on some snacks

“Can you imagine? All those people trapped…waiting for

help…” There is a slight tone to my mother’s voice

one I don’t hear very often

“The whole city seems to be covered in rubble…”

“Mom, can I go to Brittany’s house tomorrow?”

“What? I’m on the phone right now. Ask me

later.”

I pout.

“It was a terrorist attack”

Terrorist? What does that mean…?

I look out the window

See a woman hugging her child. People on their phones.

“I’ll call you back later”

And we’re finally home. Mariah

Are you a sheep or a sheep dog?

A puzzling question that deserves an answer

My father and his father have given an answer

It is my turn

A morning filled with breaking news

after breaking news

The choice has to be made

My father came back from hunting

No bucks today

He sees the burning buildings on the news

And gives me a stern look

I get in the Chevy

10

The radio is nothing but the question

sheep or sheep dog

The community college is only 5 minutes away

I make the right turn

There was a line going out the door.

I get in front of the line

And answer I am the sheep dog Justin

It is September 11, 2001. It is a day like any other day, except it’s not

I get up to get ready for school, my eyes foggy with sleep, but there’s

an unfamiliar sound coming from the living room. The TV is on,

which is rare because the TV is never allowed on in the mornings,

and my mother sits transfixed, tears streaming down her face.

I see a building on fire on the TV, trying to grasp what is unfolding

before me.

Is this real? Is this a movie?

No my mother softly replies, “terrorists.”

As if on cue the screen pans out and another plane hits the

second tower. Reality sets in; this is definitely not a joke.

Somebody please wake me from this terrible dream.

I try to get ready as I always would, making my little brother

Cheerios and toast, but Mom won’t move. She says we’re not

going to school today. I don’t understand. She always forces us to go to school,

even when we’re sick.

Bodies fall. People leaping to escape. How could something like this

happen? For the first time my childish mind was filled with doubt.

We weren’t safe after all. Those people couldn’t be helped, our government

inept to protect us.

Chaos erupts. I’ll never forget. They fell so quick, engulfed in smoke.

It didn’t seem real. My mother gasped in horror. I didn’t know

what to do. How could someone do such a thing? How could people be

so cruel, so horrible?

The dust may have settled, the debris swept clean. Stones and

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memorial monuments were erected but so what? The question still

remains. How can humanity remain so terrible? So violent and

inhumane? How can we sit by and allow history to keep repeating

itself? The inevitable horrors remain the same. Stephanie

The clock did not work

Then the dog had stolen

one of my shoes away

I will not make it to work

on time today

There will be a blemish on my record now

The streets are already packed

with traffic

I’m trapped between honking cars

The radio suddenly picks up, saying

something in urgent tones

That’s when it hit me sitting in that car

I was not yet at work today Tracey

(written from personal experience when I was 10)

So distant and so far away…

Might as well have happened in another country.

I wonder why they did it…world trade what?

How much did those guys get paid?!

Oh well, I have to do homework. Tebin

I told my wife I’d be fine

as I left to start my shift.

Not to worry, although she’s

been doing a lot of that lately.

The books call it “nesting,” and

she has been making a very big nest.

When the alarms came in

it was nothing new. Jump up,

get ready, get to the rig. Gone

12

in under 3 minutes – I thought

we could still do better.

The calls

weren’t making sense. Why

was I going to the Trade

Center if the call was

about a plane crash?

The radio chatter got louder,

a multitude of voices. All talking,

saying – what they thought – were

important things. But giving us

no clearer picture.

That is until we saw it,

the dust, the destruction.

Training hadn’t prepared me for this.

Whatever this was. I thought

about my wife, but only for a

moment as I jumped out of the

truck and ran towards the building.

It was 20 hours later. I got

called off the site. Exhaustion the

commanders said. Go to

the hospital.

But why? I asked, I’m not hurt.

To welcome your baby, She didn’t

want to take you away from the people

depending on you.

I thought about my perfect nest. Natalie

I was on my way to work when

my sister called.

She was living in Maryland at the

Time.

13

Her husband was in the Navy.

She told me what happened. As much

as she knew – none of it made sense.

I told her to come home. But it wasn’t

possible. It wasn’t safe. And there was no transportation

anyway.

I listened to the radio all day at work

that day and watched the

news all night.

I remember how silent the skies were

the next day and a few days after

that. Elizabeth

I woke up to

the sound of my mother sobbing

I quickly ran downstairs and saw her

kneeling in front of the TV with both

hands and her face pressed against

the screen, tears running down her face.

I tried to see the screen through

her fingers.

All I could make out were what

looked like giant clouds of ash and the

words hijacked, plane, and crash.

Immediately I knew my father wasn’t

coming home from his business trip. Malorie

I was haunted by seeing people

jump to their deaths

I saw them “live” on the CNN broadcast

that played in my freshman composition class,

held in a computer classroom at Western

Carolina University

We walked in – the previous instructor had

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left the newscast on – and quickly became

transfixed

I’d not known what had happened; I’d been

busily preparing for my class--even though

a colleague or two had stopped by my office

saying something about the Twin Towers

Now though, I stared transfixed watching

people leaping from a smoked-filled crumbling

building

Later a different haunting … hearing the

cell phone calls from passengers on the flight

destined for the White House that crashed in a

Pennsylvania field

Passengers calling loved ones to say goodbye, to

to say I love you

I didn’t have a cell phone Dr. Warner

I am

a country away.

The opposite coast.

“Somebody bombed the World Trade Center again.”

my dad says.

I don’t know what a World Trade Center is.

Was.

I didn’t know it had been bombed

before.

The bus was late

to take me to school.

Voyeuristic glee in his voice.

But maybe

maybe I am too hard on him.

I watched the towers fall

after school

15

on my piano teacher’s

TV.

He had root beer flavored candies.

I was so far away.

It was so far away.

I’d like to go back

and shake that little child.

“This event will define your life!

Millions will die!

Care!”

But maybe

maybe I am too hard on him.

After all

he was a country away.

We are so many countries away.

Opposite continents.

Blood and death and rubble…And root beer candies

Is it any wonder we are hated?

Is it any wonder we are blamed?

But maybe

maybe I am too hard on us.

After all

We are so many countries away.

They say

Time heals all wounds

but if you invest a dollar

eventually you get a million back.

If you invest a drop of blood

be willing to drown in it.

The causes are complicated.

The solutions don’t exist.

Hopefully peace works the same way.

Where can I deposit my peace

16

so that the world can collect

somewhere down the line? Luke

I remember waking up that morning

coming into the living room

not knowing what was happening.

The TV was on. The news.

How strange. Daddy never is home this late in the morning.

Why isn’t he at work?

I don’t see anything about the stock market on TV.

This is different.

What are they showing on the news?

I don’t understand…This…

I need to go to school.

I want to stop seeing it on TV.

Who will drop me off today?

In class, we’re talking about it.

My teacher wants us to write about how

we feel.

What do I feel? What do I write?

I still don’t get it. I can’t escape.

I remember the drawings we did that day.

I remember how we all felt so troubled

and sad for days, weeks afterwards.

All the footage of the crumbling towers,

all I saw was the dust.

All those people died.

People in those buildings. People trying to help.

People nearby. So many people.

I was a little girl. I didn’t understand

what being “American” meant.

Freedom fries were a joke, something

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to laugh about at recess.

I didn’t know about terrorists or hijackings.

I thought traveling by plane was supposed to be safe.

It would take a long time before

anyone would or could feel safe. Trang

They had a meeting on the 10th floor today

I brought them coffee and bagels.

Just a minute later and I heard a crash.

Screams. Heat.

Everyone ran. What was happening?

A plane.

It was chaotic. “Run!” I heard.

Glass everywhere. People falling outside.

Who did this?

Terrorists.

I couldn’t get my thoughts together.

Scrambled. I’m somehow on the 3rd floor now.

One thing stayed in my mind.

The man I wanted to marry, gone too soon.

I saw his face in the window on the nose of the second plane.

His hands reached out to me.

Another pulled me back.

He was gone.

I am thrown out into the arms of a fireman.

Lucky to be alive, but he is gone.

Out of reach again.

Tears streaming on all faces I saw

as the towers began to fall.

I was engulfed in ashes as everyone ran. Poua

We had a moment of silence

It was a serious silence

The kind where you knew it was wrong to make a sound

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Not the kind where you could get away with a whisper

No paper shifted

No chairs squeaked

No one tapped their feet

Then the bell rang and class resumed

I forgot all about it until I saw my parents

They said someone crashed a plane into New York

The twin towers fell

New York was always getting destroyed on TV

But this time is was real

This time real people died

I didn’t know anyone in New York

I didn’t know what twin towers were

But I did know I was supposed to be sad Allison

My teacher was late to class today.

So were some other teachers, too.

Standing in line, I heard someone behind me

say

Mommy stopped the car to listen to the newsman

on the radio

because the two big buildings in New York

got crashed by planes.

The Ms. Tucklough came and opened the door for us.

The clock read 8:02 a.m.

She was two minutes late

after the second bell.

Her eyes were red. Rochelle

I woke up this morning over at

Alese’s house, after spending the night there.

We got dressed and ready for school, and

his mom made us breakfast.

We were in a hurry to beat the traffic down

from San Francisco. Driving by the airport

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we noticed signs posted stating that all

airports were shut down and flights

cancelled. Must be weather related, we

figured. When we got to school, that’s

when we heard the news. Planes

had been hijacked, people were dead, America

was under attack. Ariel

Alarm went off.

I didn’t want to wake up.

Still too early to crawl out of bed.

And I only wanted to sleep.

Dad came in to wake my brother and me

and turned on the television on the dresser.

I expected to see the weather forecast

tell of another rainy day in the Evergreen State

instead I saw chaos

a burning building,

and a plane crashing.

The three of us sat quietly

in the bedroom with eyes fixed on the TV.

The first thought I had was,

This is fake, right? Sean

Mommy, why are you scared?

And why is Daddy scared?

Should I be scared?

And why are you crying?

Should I also cry?

And why is the television crying,

and why is it screaming,

and why is it scared?

I don’t understand.

But when I do understand,

will I regret understanding? Daniel

20

I wake up to the news

cries and frantic phone calls,

Not much is told to a six year old, an 8 year old, an 11 year old

but to keep calm, we are told

“not to worry,” “everything will be fine.”

But I knew we had family in New York.

And we couldn’t reach them – but we were told not to think about that.

Clashing emotions and contradictory words:

“it will be okay.”

but we overhear “we can’t reach them,” “I hope they’re okay”

but we hear the fear in their voices; are they lying to us?

So we find comfort in ourselves, our cousinly bond.

We know it’s not with bad intention, they are just as

scared as we are, unsure of how to live in the chaos of the world. Randi

“shit”

“shit” was all I could say to myself

as I desperately tried to call her.

“come on, come on,” I repeated to myself

as I heard the phone dialing.

All I could do was cuss to myself

as our kids watched my body begin to shake

more and more. She wouldn’t have liked

that, teaching our kids such words.

Deep down I knew it was pointless.

Even if she had survived, there was

no way she’d pick up in all that chaos.

It was more hopefulness than anything else.

“Please…please pick up…”

Maybe it was all some big mistake. Maybe

some other building had got hit, maybe it was

all just some cruel joke. But I knew better.

As I put the phone down, I could see the

worried eyes of our children.

21

“It’ll be okay, Mommy’s gonna be okay” I told them

as I slowly petted their heads. Maybe things would

work out, maybe she’d be okay.

Maybe I was trying to convince myself more than

I was trying to convince them. Maximillian

Waking up I saw my room was empty

Usually Mom would come and tell me to get ready

for school

I walk down stairs and see Mom on the phone,

looking at the TV

She tells me I might not be going to school today

I turned to see what she was watching

The news kept showing videos of a plane hitting

a big building

I didn’t now where it was or who it was.

Mom told me that I was going to be okay, that

I would be safe here at home with her.

Later that night when Dad came home he hugged

all of the family and asked that we

pray for the people affected by the events that

happened on the news this morning.

I was confused because we never prayed in my

house unless Dad’s parents were over because

they are Catholic and go to church every Sunday unlike us.

We only go on Christmas,

Whatever happened today must have scared Mom and

Dad real bad.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Hopefully tomorrow I can go to school. Jason

(Robert the janitor)

The planes crashed into the towers,

My towers.

22

For the last 20 years, the company I

work for, had been contracted to clean the towers.

Every night, I’d take out trash,

and vacuum the floors, and mop bathroom

tiles. These office workers looked at me

as if I were a failure.

I make enough to get by.

Twenty years, making these offices presentable.

After another night, going through the motions,

I got home, hit the bottle,

passed out.

I got a call that morning. The boss

frantically told me to flip on the news.

The first tower came down. I just stared. I couldn’t process

still hadn’t had my cup of Joe. Of course the second tower

came down. It was as if my father died all over.

I sat in my apartment too tired to pour a drink.

How many of those nights, cleaning these floors, I wished

those towers would come down. Shamed. All those people. Ricky

It's not everyday you wake up to find your mother crying uncontrollably while at watching the

news. Holy s***, I thought. Did my dad die? My brother? My sister?

I've only seen my mom cry like this when my grandma died.

I ran to the couch, sitting next to my mom knowing damn well none of my jokes would work this

time.

I rubbed her back while our eyes were glued to the news. I felt like the parent now. I was taking

care of her, but a parent could explain these types of situations. I couldn't fathom the magnitude

of the attacks that took place that Tuesday morning. I'll never forget the look on her face. It would

all make sense years later when I watched footage of the attacks. I cried just like my mother the

day of the attacks. I finally understood. Casey

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