Monday, September 12, 2005

Four years ago...

...Yesterday. Somehow it seems like a lifetime ago. I was single, though living with my fiancee'; had no house, no child. I had the television on at around 8am pacific time, and I couldn't decipher what I was seeing. The towers were already on the ground, and the news dudes seemed to be saying that planes had crashed into them. Even when they showed the images, my brain did not compute.
I went to work as usual, feeling rather numb. My stomach was churning. Then my beloved called me to tell me she hadn't heard from her dad who was scheduled to fly out of Boston that morning. I drove home immediately to be with her.
Her dad was fine, and I didn't lose anyone that day - though I was surprised to learn I could have. My good friend from high school and his wife both worked at ground zero. She in tower 1 on the 32nd floor, and he in a nearby building. Sue, had just happened to be late to work that day. The building was already flaming when she arrived. She stayed outside and saw the second plane hit. She stayed until the bodies started falling, then she and her husband walked home.
Even though it seems so long ago, I think of it more than ever these days. I wonder if we as a nation are doing all we can to keep ourselves safe. I wonder what kind of world my daughter is going to grow up in.
Today the power went out for about 45 minutes, half of Los Angeles was darkened. I was the first at my work to jump in my car and head to pick up my baby. My mind was racing about what was going on - I wasn't panicked, but I didn't want to wait to act.
Turns out, there was simply a glitch in the system; everything was fine.
Well, not everything.

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