As I Remember It...

With the summer of 2001 was winding down, what I remember most was that there had been a record number of shark attacks that summer. Funny how no one even talks about that anymore...

I had only been in the office for about 20 minutes. It was my second day on the job at CETROM, a small-ish architecture firm far out in the 'burbs of Gaithersburg, Maryland. I was far from my comfortable apartment in downtown DC, less than 15 blocks from the US Capitol, but after having been laid off a month prior, I considered myself blessed to me employed. Over the cubicle wall, I hear the woman (her name was Jobi) remark to someone else in the office, "Hey, on the radio they said a plane just hit the World Trade Center." She turned the radio up a little.

I logged on to Yahoo, and confirmed it. The coverage made it sound like a crop duster or something had gotten off course and hit the building. I tried to click on a link to get more information and could not connect. I tried CNN. Nothing. MSNBC. Nothing. Washington Post. USA Today. I could not connect to any website at all. Jobi yelled out, "A second plane just hit the other tower at the World Trade Center, and they were jets." It got VERY quiet in the office as everyone gathered at her desk to listen to the radio.

One crop duster with a malfunction crashing into the World Trade Center was an accident. Two JETS deliberately flying into two buildings moments apart was the game. My first thoughts were for Keith. Keith was the tragically beautiful man I had just spent a blissful Pride weekend with in ATL. I called his house in LA where it was only a little after 6am and got his voicemail. "Don't go to work today baby. Something crazy is going on and I don't want anything to happen to you. I will call you later." Ultimately, he proved unworthy of such devotion, but that's another story. We had all drifted slowly back to our seats, but the office was completely silent, save for the occasional cellphone ring, followed by a whispered reassurance that someone was OK.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have confirmed reports that one of the towers of the World Trade Center has collapsed." Jobi started crying hysterically. Someone came in to comfort her. Sadly, in the 3+ years I worked there, it was not the only time this would happen. Yep, she was one of those types.

My next thoughts were for my Bristas in New Jersey who worked at the World Trade Center. I tried Robert's cell. No answer. Reggie. No answer. I tried to place a third call and all circuits were busy. I tried to call my father and sister. All circuits were busy. I tried the office phone and still, all circuits. I started to freak out a little.

With no internet, very little phone and only the radio to go by, rumors ran rampant. The White House had been hit, the Pentagon was on fire, the Capitol had been hit. Eventually we all found out exactly what had happened, but in those first hours, it was total chaos.

Later, once I for home, I was faced (as we all were) with wall-to-wall coverage of the events. I was shocked at how quickly the government was able to put it all together. I kept thinking to myself, if they had only put these pieces together even 12 hours earlier, none of those guys would ever have gotten on those planes.

I pray we never have a repeat of that day, but sadly...