The moment is etched in my mind forever. I wish it never took up space in my head but it does. And will always be there.
It was going to be a special day because I was taking my three-year old daughter to her first Mother’s Day Out class. Her mom was already at work so I was tasked with feeding, dressing and getting her there on time. We had rushed through the first two quickly and now we were going to watch The Rugrats for a few minutes before we left.
My phone rang. “Hello?” The voice on the other end said simply, “Hey, turn it on CNN right now?” I paused and said, “Why? Because if I turn this channel, my girl is going to lose it.”
Silence for a few seconds and then my friend said, “A huge plane just hit the World Trade Center. Turn it on.”
I picked up the remote and turned the channel. What in the world was I seeing? A plane just happened to hit that building? From the TV view, it seemed to be a bright and sunny day in Manhattan. No, it was something else. Had to be.
Then, I watched as the second plane hit the other tower. My God, did I really just see that?
“Oh God, did you see that? It just flew right into the building!” I was in shock. “Ed, I will call you back.”
I was still processing what I was seeing and having really no understanding of what I was seeing. That makes zero sense, I know, but at the time, it did.
Suddenly, reality tugged at my shirt.
“Daddy, where did the Rugrats go? Put the Rugrats back on.”
I had completely forgotten my daughter was sitting next to me the whole time. I looked at her and said, “I am sorry sweetheart, here you go.”
I turned it back on The Rugrats for her and went into the kitchen, knowing that when I took her to school, the world we knew that morning, would never be the same.
@bigjoeonthego