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In reply to the discussion: Tell me about your 9/11. [View all]electric_blue68
(14,934 posts)about 10:30AM. Usually have turned my Walkman on CBS or Public Radio but I hadn't. I lived 1/2 mile south of Downtown Brooklyn start heading west toward Flatbush (a main) Ave to catch the subway. At my corner a cop car has pulled over a car and there's at least one orange traffic cone there. It seemed kind of odd. Never seen that.
Soon to reach my corner I flick on the radio. I start to hear descriptions but I have NO Idea the several announcers were describing the WTC... "firemen covered in ashes. This looks like a Science Fiction movie, but...". I'm thinking of one of the big block wide ?12 story high red brick apt buildings in Queens (some of you'll know what I mean).
I'm now going one block parallel to Flatbush when all the announcers go Silent for ?15, ?30, ?60 seconds. Dead Air m. I've now turned back to one block toward Flatbush looking North West. They finally return and one of them says:
"The Towers are GONE.".
I spin 180° and stare at my device. Emotionally this little Walkman suddenly feels like I'm holding a big, ugly squawking bug in my hand. I think they start to mention about the planes which I haven't heard about yet.
But semi concioussly I start to get an even more horiffic sense ∆as I add pieces up.
I slowly, terribly turn toward Flatbush Ave. There is/was what I saw some minutes earlier as I came down the steps of my building - a Happy puffy Summer cloud...only...
It was Denser than it should be, the Color was Wrong; instead bright soft looking white and greys it was a gritty yellow beige! I realized what I looking at and clapping my hands over my mouth I ran screaming back home.
I threw myself and sobbed hard into my pillow for about 10 mins or so. Then I listened all day and evening to the radio. I was too scared to turn on the TV.
See almost 20 years earlier I and a bunch of provisional NYS hires were finishing up a year's worth of work in an office on the 73rd (2 elevators) NE corner of Tower 2 (South). Then about 4 days before 9-11 I had gone on a regular bus that happened to go by the North end of the WTC Complex and also passed under the little bridge that connected north to the next street (not the big one that goes to Brookfield Pl).
I finally had the nerve by 11PM to start watching TV then for hours. I didn't cry again until I went to the first of the ?3 U2 shows at MSG in that Oct. Then it was like a river and cathartic.
I spent many 9-11s down at the site and near the extroidinary Tribute of Lights, and other exhibits.
Never forgotten.
Now I'll read everyone's stories.
And OP - my goodness your first day as a therapist! You didn't get tossed into the deep end of the pool! You got thrown into the Ocean!