OVERLOOKING FROM THE 29TH FLOOR (THE 9/11 TRAGEDY)

That morning of that fatal Tuesday, I felt nauseous. For years, I had been suffering from migraines. I felt queasy sensing it was kind of  more eerie to feel something I didn't understand. Something just did not feel right. I did not know what or why. It was about 8:30 a.m. The kids had gone to school so I ate breakfast. Soon, my employer would come out of her room  to take her morning joe. I already had brewed her coffee from her favorite organic store, Balduccis.

Year 1991, month of September, day 11; I was working as a live-in housekeeper for a family of four in Manhattan. They hired me and trusted me to maintain organization and cleanliness in their household. With me and this family, we all lived on the topmost floor (the 29th floor)  of an apartment building located in midtown of West Manhattan. We occupied the whole floor.

So that morning seemed to be a normal day just like any other ordinary day. Except of those creepy chill on my shoulders and arms. It was still summer so the weather must not be lower than 60. But why I felt cold, I didn't know why. Until the phone rang. Mrs. Lance (fictitious name for my employer) got it. I continued doing my chore. The police sirens were incessantly blaring. Then she went ballistic.

She screamed. I ran to where she was and asked her if she was fine. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped.  Then I heard the news---one of the worst news I had ever heard. The sirens got more intense --louder and more frequent. The Twin Towers collapsed. Two airplanes crashed into these once-formidable world-famous structures. "What in the world is happening?"

I sped to the porch. Hordes of people were outside---screaming, yelling, running and crying. Twin Towers were about  7 miles away from our apartment building. But I could see the streets were filled with firetrucks, police cars, ambulances, uniformed people and more people. 

It was like surreal. But it was real. The view from the top, was unbelievable,  gripping and holding my breath. So we turned the TV on. There we saw how the planes crashed into Twin Towers. Our phones kept ringing. Friends and family from the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, UK and even friends in Germany were calling me to know  if I was alright. I said that they didn't need to worry since I'm far from the site. They didn't know that I was actually close to it.

My employer didn't go to her office (since she owns it). The kids came back home at just before noon. After the kids had their lunch, I went downstairs. All the people I met even inside the lobby  looked morose. The pleasant, smiling faces of the doorman and the concierge were gone. Everybody looked sad. The grief couldn't escape from their faces.

I was sad too.  I learned a lot of people died in that tragedy.  I walked around and the streets, now empty, still echoed a gloomy atmosphere. Once vibrant and teeming, nobody was outside except for a few people who looked so forlorn. 

I went back. Suddenly I remembered  it was my Auntie Angel's birthday. I called her on the phone and when I greeted her "Happy Birthday Auntie!" trying to hide my sadness, my aunt sobbed. I asked her why was she crying. She said it's because a lot of people lost their lives on her birthday.

I tried not be pulled in to my Auntie's sadness, but I couldn't help it. I tried to continue doing my chores as usual. The day seemed to be forever. Then when night came, the sounds of police and ambulance sirens became like the monsters in the night. The day after, I stood on the porch again overlooking the city and where I used to see the gigantic towers. Those behemoths were gone. All I could see was smoke and smoke and smoke.  Black smoke enveloped the  blue skies. It still felt chilly in hot September. The smoke continued to bellow up to the skies all day. Day in, day out.

Saturday came and I was off for the day. I went to see Ground Zero. The rubble was a horrific sight.  After 4 days, rescue teams were still there hoping to rescue even the deceased.  The smoke was dissipating. I left to go back to my place (a room for rent) in Queens ( another borough of New York City along with other boroughs ; Manhattan, Brooklyn,  Bronx and Staten Island). The Grand Central station seemed to look  more like a funeral parlor.  Walls were covered with flyers and posters of the lost and dead people. Flowers, candles and ribbons were also everywhere. 

I went home recalling the day that I witnessed a part of the most colossal disaster in the history of the world.  Years after, I still remember the day with sorrow in my heart. I cannot forget how those faces looked like, the sirens, the screams, the smoke, the candles, the flowers,  the bleakness of Manhattan streets, and my queasy feelings.

How about you? How did you react when you heard the news of the 9/11 tragedy?

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Comments

[Stephen]

When I first heard about it on television (I wasn't looking at the tv set). The first thing that came to my mind during that time was "who in the right mind would do such a thing?"... Goosebumps crawled on my arms and I could feel the chill rose to my hair. D@*%! terrorist, they should burn in hell for what they did. I hope that they would suffer the eternal fire of hell and not the 72 virgins they were promised.

[Joyoz]

Hello Bings..thank you very much for visitng my travel blog. I also added you link there and I will add you in all my 12 blogs one steo at a time.
That's a horrible tragedy my goodness.

[Ria]

Such a tragedy, David was working in New Jersey when that day and I was so worried as I know that he travels to NY usually for meetings. Just glad that he was ok. It must have been an unbelievable sight :( God bless all the people who perished.

[aminhers]

I hope it's the last tragedy in our planet

[Homer]

Horrible...was the feeling. The souls of who did this will rot in hell. I still remember that day when I say that on TV and I couldn't believe my eyes....

RIP the souls of all those who lost their priceless life :(

www.cherryantacids.blogspot.com

[Bill]

I remember that day also. I was off that day and turned on the news and saw it all on tv. May God bless all those who lost love ones.

[Lori Laws]

Hi Bingkee, wanted to stop and let you know I "tagged" you...to play a game...if you choose. Stop by my site when you have a chance. I'm now following your blog! Blessings to you!!

[janejane]

9/11 was totally horrifying. And up to now, I still can't understand why they did such a thing. :(

[HoNEy]

Hi beng..I was here..sorry it took me forever to visit your blog,was really busy at school.:)Amping pirmi.

[Juliet]

Hello, I'm in my schedule of blog hopping and I always see you sweet photo on mybloglog widget, I saw it's on the last row the other day but today as I checked my blog, it's on top again:) Well, it's seems your sweet smile has sways been a part of my blog already.

You have a nice blog here, and I will put your link in my blogroll as well. Keep it up, mine was a new blog too, created it on June at blogger and moved it to wordpress 3 weeks ago and I was surprised by the number of visits of my readers. Maybe Pinay bloggers has some charisma on readers dont u think? :)

[tina]

I remember where I was: asleep. I was sick that day, so I was asleep til my mom woke me up talking about it. My mom had been talking with my older sister about it when they got cut off of the phone, but because we all sound alike, my mom thought that she had been talking to me and called me about it. By the time I woke up it was all over. I was confused and had no clue what was going on. Couldn't believe it when I heard it. Or saw it.

[Skye]

Hiyee V! It was almost midnight in my province when one of my best friends texted me about it. I couldn't believe what she said, i thought i was dreaming. Turned on the TV right away, and there. I still have the goosebumps.

[vanidosa]

My gosh that was horrific!

[crissy]

Such an evil thing to do.. They kill innocent people to convince that they are strong and powerful but its the other thing, they are all cowards. They don't have any single right to take away the lives of those people who have nothing to do with their fight.

[Melinda Tyler]

It was surreal because my (now) husband and I were actually in Hawaii. It was very disconcerting to wake up so long after what had happened and to hear about it in that way. It was also very strnage being stuck in Hawaii and not knowing when we would be able to return. It was like two different vacations--pre 9/11 and post 9/11.

What an excellent job you did on this story, Bingkee. Keep up the great work.

Melinda

[love-ely]

Dear Bingkee
It's very horrible day. It was tragedy to humankind.

[Partybluprints Girl]

A day where the worst of mankind brought out the best in mankind.

Please see our post - http://partybluprintsblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/remembering-hero.html

[Lateralus]

For starters I would like to say you are a very descriptive writer. I usually tend to be an apethetic person unless it involves me personally and I am a person who believes our planet is over crowded by billions of people, but on that day I was working at a redneck burger joint in Russelville, Arkansas, hating all the country people around me (I am a city boy form the north in Illinios), but when I heard it on the radio I actually cried. I do not wish death on people and especially innocent people who have never hurt anyone in their lives. It is no ones place to choose who can live or die. Well, maybe all child molesters should be annihilated, but other than that, none of those people deserved to die. Especially children. I have never been a racist person as the majority of my friends that I grew up with were blacks and Puerto Ricans, but on that day for a short minute I found myself hating their whole race. I soon had to flip back to my normal logical reasoning and tell myself that not all of their race were evil and that not all of them are terrorist. Even the ones who are terrorists are just young and easily influenced by their peers elders and yes, religion. I understand this as I was a gang banger when I was a kid and the people I was around loved me and protected me and it was all I knew. That doesn't condone their hate, ignorance and evil, but it does solidify the fact that people are all fallible. How did I react? I cried.

[Ajf 6]

Your blog has inspired me. Recently, I have a strong interest in nature, about the philosophy of the soul, and I have been looking for that book! Thank you very much for your blog, give me the direction!