LAST EDITED ON 09-11-02 AT 08:34 AM (EST)

This is MY story that I wrote for our local paper about my 9/11 experience. I hope you don't mind that I post it here. I didn't make the deadline for our paper, and I don't want to file it away until I share it. Alot of you that have been here knoi about my trip... but for those who don't, here it is.

God bless us all...........

From a Dream, to a Nightmare

I was having the time of my life….living out a lifelong dream. My husband surprised me with an overnight trip to New York City to see Michael Jackson’s 25th Anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden on September 10th. Between the Jackson’s and all the other famous performers that night, along with the amazing city that is New York, it should have been a highlight in my life, but the next morning….my dream trip became a nightmare.

I awoke the morning of September 11th at the Milford Plaza Hotel on 42nd Street at about 8:55 AM. I could hear my husband showering, and knew he would be anxious to get home, so I got up and got dressed. We checked out and walked out onto the street to find a valet to retrieve our truck. At first no one was around, which was odd because there had always been at least two hotel employees standing outside to open the doors or to get a car. Finally a small group of valets and bellhops came outside and we could hear one of them talking to the others in broken English. “Plane drop from sky!” He yelled. “Plane hit tower!” We stood there confused for a moment, as we watched them all huddled in a circle looking panicked. My husband walked up to them and handed him our ticket and asked for our truck. The man said to us. “You can’t go. New York is closed. Planes have crashed into the Twin towers and they aren’t going to let anyone out of the city. They are closing all the bridges.” My husband asked him to repeat what he had just said, because we still couldn’t possibly understand what was going on. Regardless of the man’s insistence that we could not leave the city, my husband demanded our truck.

While we waited to for him to bring it around, I began to notice what was going on around me. A man ran up to me and asked me for a cigarette saying, “I need one really bad. I have a lot of friends in there.” Still confused, I handed the man one. Looking up and down the street, I saw what seemed to be everyone trying to call on a cell phone, and some people were running, and a lot of them were crying. That was when I became scared, and knew that whatever was going on, I didn’t want to be anywhere near it.

The valet then drove around with our truck and my husband began to drive while I hurriedly turned on the radio to see if I could find out what was going on. As we drove, the newscasters were saying how two commercial planes had crashed into the World Trade Center and the first tower had already collapsed upon itself. I turned and looked out of the back window as we drove and could see the smoke rising above the city. I was now officially scared to death. Looking at all the traffic around me only scared me more. Every person in every vehicle was crying. From young to old, the highway was a sea of tears and fear as everyone desperately tried to leave the city.

The first bridge we approached had been closed. My husband decided that if we followed the Hudson River, we may be able to get across the Tappan Zee Bridge. By the grace of God, we made it across right before they closed it. As we drove listening to the announcers on the radio, we fully understood what we had just barely escaped.

Entering New Jersey, our first thought was to find a phone to call home and let our friends and family know we had made it out and were on our way home. Both of us still choking back tears, we stopped at a Burger King to use a payphone. As my husband called home, a trucker was on the phone next to us crying his heart out. As he hung up and went to leave, he patted my husbands back and said. “God bless you and all of us. I just found out my brother jumped to his death from the second tower.” The then went outside to his rig shaking and crying. It is impossible for me to adequately express all the emotions I was feeling at that moment. I just wanted to get home.

After coming home and hugging our children, my husband and I were glued to the television all night and into the next morning, praying for the lives lost, and thanking God that he saw us safely home.

Sing until it hurts....

• RE: From a Dream, To a Nightmare,dabo, 11:17 AM, 09-11-02
• RE: From a Dream, To a Nightmare,Draco Malfoy, 11:31 AM, 09-11-02
• RE: From a Dream, To a Nightmare,Drive My Car, 12:23 PM, 09-11-02
• RE: From a Dream, To a Nightmare,L82LIFE, 01:06 PM, 09-11-02
• RE: From a Dream, To a Nightmare,Punkin, 01:17 PM, 09-11-02
• RE: From a Dream, To a Nightmare,Femme, 03:36 PM, 09-11-02
• RE: From a Dream, To a Nightmare,sticks, 03:48 PM, 09-11-02
• RE: From a Dream, To a Nightmare,Jizzy, 04:26 PM, 09-11-02
  • RE: From a Dream, To a Nightmare,LadyT, 05:43 PM, 09-11-02
• RE: From a Dream, To a Nightmare,Mon Cherie, 05:38 PM, 09-11-02

LAST EDITED ON 09-11-02 AT 11:18 AM (EST)

Bless you, Kira. I know that was a difficult time for you and probably painful to write about. May the world never know such another tragedy again.

If I may paraphrase David Letterman (I don't recall his exact words right now):

"We are told they did this out of their religious convictions:

"If you live to be 1,000 will that ever make any God-Damn sense to you!"

Thanks a lot Vampy. It's always enlightening to hear from someone who was actually there. I know we managed to get a couple of people on the air that day who were in NY at the time, and their reaction was a lot like yours.

OH Hon. I remember hearing some of this from you then, but to see the whole story in your words is very moving.
We worried about you that day. And about all our members from NYC.

God Bless us all

Vampy, I've been trying to keep my tears to a minimum today (not very effectively, might I add). After reading this, I gave up that idea, went into the bathroom and had myself a good cry. I'm not worried about looking like a big crybaby at work anymore. I don't care what anyone else thinks. Today is a day to remember, to cry, to grieve, and to pay tribute.

Thank you for helping me do just that, Vamps. I'm so sorry you had to go through such a nightmare. I'll keep you in my thoughts today.

Thanks for sharing that, Vamp. It's a truly moving account. I was sitting in front of the TV watching the news out here in San Francisco when it happened. It was horrific. But hearing what it was like for you, being right there, reminds me of the fear we saw on the faces of the people who were there and who were trying to comprehend what was happening. I'm glad you were able to get home to your children right away. We all needed to be in the comforting arms of our family.

Sheesh, it was bad enough watching it on TV. It must have been so awful to have been there, in a city that wasn't home, wondering if all would be okay. How scared you must have been. All the emotions that must have been flying around that city... wow.

How terrible it must have been to hear that trucker say what he did. But, how wonderful that you and your husband were there to maybe shoulder a little of his pain for him. Thank you for sharing your story with us.

Femme

That was very touching, Vampkira.

Thank you for sharing your story.

Great story, Vampshon!

*sigh* I remember that day very well. I was worried to death for you because I knew you were there to see MJ. I was just a little stressed out...worrying about, not only you, but our other SB friends that lived or worked there.

When you called me on your way home that day to let me know you were OK, I breathed one of the biggest *sighs* of life. It saddens me to think back about all the friends and family members of the victims that were waiting on a phone call that day...one that never came.

*hugZZ*

Vamp, we were all relieved to hear from Jizzy that you were out of the city and safe. For all of us that lived vicariously through the dream of seeing MJ with you, it shattered us to know something bad may have happened to you. Thank you so much for sharing this.

Thanks for sharing this Vamps. It seems like just yesterday we were trying to track down our SBers who were in the "war zones". I'm so grateful you and others returned home safely.

*Hugs*
Mon
When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.~ Helen Keller