The Memory of A Day I Wish I Could Forget.
I moved to New York City in August of 1993. The first attack on the World Trade Center was in February of 1993. I wasn't sure I should move to New York, but I did.
After about a year and a half, I started working in Manhattan. Whenever I would take the express bus into work, I would pass by the World Trade Center. I would look up and say, "they're still there". In the back of mind, I had a suspicion that they would be targeted again.
September 11th, 2001.
Most people who lived through that day here in New York City will never forget the events of that day. I wish I could. Val and I had just gotten back from vacation the week before. We were on a cruise to Nova Scotia. It was a great vacation.
I don't remember anything about Monday September 10th 2001. I can't forget Tuesday, September 11th 2001. I really wish I could.
Val went to work earlier than me that day. Always trying to get some overtime at the law firm she worked in midtown. I went to work an hour later. We took the same bus most days. Not this day. It was the same bus route. Neither one of us got to work that day.
I was on the bus going over the Varrazano-Narrows bridge re-reading Huckleberry Finn. I actually had two books with me that day. Can't remember the title of the other book, but I picked it when we were on vacation. It was about a young girl and her experience living in Italy during World War II. My mom lived in Italy during the war and I wondered what it was like for her, and my Dad, to live in a country that was a War Zone. Ironic when I thought about later. Maybe my mom was trying to get me ready.
I always got a window seat on the bus if could. I did that day. As I was reading and going over the bridge, as I always would do, I would look out and see the New York City skyline. On a bright day, the skyline was beautiful. Not this day.
What I saw when I looked out the window did not seem real. A very LARGE black plume of smoke was coming out of the top of the World Trade Center. This was the North Tower. It was about 8:55 give or take a few minutes. I almost looked away thinking it was a major electrical fire. Never thought it was an explosion, never thought a plane had hit the tower, never thought it could be terrorism. Of course, those thoughts occurred in about a split second or two. I could not STOP looking at what I was seeing and trying to understand all. It wasn't until the bus was off the bridge that someone said they heard on the radio, that another plane hit the south tower. Now I knew. It was an attack. The bus was diverted. We were in Brooklyn. Another report, a plane had hit the Pentagon in D.C, and another plane was "on its way". On its way where? We were going back to Staten Island. I got off the bus to tried to get the subway to get to work. The subway was not running. I could not get through to Val on my cell phone. I got a page from Val on my beeper that the World Trade Center was on fire and that she was going home. Where was she? At the office, still downtown? I didn't know.
I went into a diner to try and use the phone. Didn't work. I looked around at the people in the diner. They didn't know what was going on in the past few minutes. I was about to tell them to turn on the TV when I thought, "I gotta find Val!!"
I caught another express bus. They still were not going to go into Manhattan. I thought they would try to go over the Brooklyn or Manhattan bridges. They were going back home. Damn! How am I going to get to Val in the city??
When we got to Staten Island, I caught a local bus hoping to get down to the Staten Island Ferry terminal. Val always said, "The ferry runs all the time. No matter what." It was going to be my only chance to get to her. I had to get to her.
After about 15 minutes, the bus stopped at a red light. It was right across the street from a fire house. A fireman got on the bus and said, "By the order of the Fire Marshall of New York City, we are taking command of the bus. Please get off the bus and wait for the next one". As I got off the bus I put my arm on the Fireman's shoulder and told him, "Be careful. God bless you!"
Now I was on my feet. Walking. Where was I going to go? It would have taken me an hour or two to get to the Ferry Terminal on foot. I walked up a hilly street to one of the main streets here, Victory Blvd. and thought I would catch the bus there. I was a bit out of breath. I thought, "this is not what it feels like to be in a war zone, New York City NOW IS a war zone!"
No buses were going to the Ferry Terminal. Damn! Ok, get back to the house, get in the car, and go down to the Ferry. That's what I did.
I was still trying to get Val on the cell phone. Nothing. I didn't have a minute to think that there might be more planes coming in, all I knew was that I had to find Val.
I took Bay St. to get to the ferry terminal. From Bay st. You can see the Manhattan sky line. Not today. At that point, both Towers had fallen. All I could see was smoke. It engulfed all of the downtown area. It was as if the towers had fallen and destroyed all of downtown Manhattan. I thought to myself, that's where Val is. Damn! Gotta find her!
My plan was to get on the Ferry and try to find her. The ferry was running. The local news on the radio said it was. But, it was ONLY letting fireman get on the ferry. Damn!
Ok, well firemen are great guys. My next door neighbor was a fireman. They won't try to stop me. They will let me find my wife.
Parked in the ferry parking lot. Ran to the ferry. I see the firemen getting on. Ok, I'm in for a fight, but this is war. I gotta find Val.
As I was getting to the ferry, I tried my phone again. All I got was voicemail. It was Val. There were two voice mails. The first one she sounded like she was in a panic. She saw the second plane hit the south tower. She was coming out of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel downtown. She was in the area now engulfed by all that smoke. The voicemail cut off. Not sure why. The phones were not working that well on that day. For a split second I thought I had lost Val. DAMN!!
The second voice mail "Guy, I'm on the 62 bus. I'm 10 minutes from the house. Where are you?"
At that point, the tension in my soul was released. I bent over and let out a wail of some kind... one of the fireman said, "Hey man, you ok??" I said "yeah, I'm ok now. Please be careful. God bless you all!"
I drove home. Still could not get Val on the phone.
I walked in the front door and Val and I embraced for what seemed like hours. She was ok, we were ok. For now.
The rest of the week is a blur, but we could not get to work for the rest of the week.
Val was helping people as they were waiting to board the ferry back to Staten Island. She saw a friend of hers who had gotten hit with all the debris from the towers. He was in a panic. Val did the best she could to calm him down and clean him up. Val's cell phone was working that day. She gave to to anyone who needed to make a call that day. From what I remember Val said she saw the plane hit the south tower. She was waiting for the ferry when the first tower fell, and she was on the ferry going home when she saw the second tower fall.
What Val saw was horrific. I know that it affected her deeply. I hope that memory is erased from Val's mind. But something tells me, that at least the emotional turmoil of that day still lives with her.
I still cannot remember Monday September 10th 2001. I wish I could and forget Tuesday, September 11th. Of course, I never will.
