September 11, 2001

On September 11, 2001, DC was blessed with beautiful, clear, blue skies. It was an unbelievably gorgeous day. I sat in my office like I did on almost every other regular work day that year, typing away at my computer.

Someone came down the hall and said the World Trade Center had been hit by an airplane. I called up Ed, who works very near the Capital, and told him to go home. He, naturally, thought I was crazy. You see, I am prone to over-reacting and the occasional doomsday thought, while Ed seems to be mostly impervious to all of the dangers that exist in our world. He's C.A.L.M. Partly, this is because he believes he can think his way out of any situation. Dead battery in the car? Ed will sit and ponder why the battery is dead, and begin thinking about what to do because he just cannot believe the battery is dead. Why is that battery dead? I, on the other hand, don't actually care why the battery is dead. We can deduce that in the 30 minutes it wil take for AAA to come to our rescue. Which is why assistance has been called by the time Ed has even begun to admit that yes, the battery is dead, and thinking about it WILL NOT HELP.

So there, Ed sat, and then the second plane hit the WTC. Now I told Ed he really needed to get out of Dodge. But he sat at his desk, continuing to not worry. Then the news went haywire. Nobody knew what was going on. There were reports of many major buildings in the DC area being hit or being targeted. It was impossible to get phone lines in or out. The roads were completely jammed. Some reports considered the DC subway system unsafe. I walked to my friend's house in Rosslyn, just over the bridge, and then she attempted to drive me and another coworker home, which ultimately took a LONG time. I would've been better off had I walked the whole 6 miles. Heck, George Bush didn't even seem to think anything important was going on as he sat and read a story to a grade school class, rather than leaving immediately and oh, I don't know, grounding all air traffic. FAST. Yes, eventually this happened, but those were important moments and he was supposed to be leading, not reading.

Government offices closed, Ed went home, I met him there. Then, we proceeded to do some minor home improvement projects (wiring more of the house for stereo sound) while we casually listened to news. By this time, it was fairly clear that no more attacks were coming. We answered the phone from concerned people. I called to tell my mom I was fine and she was totally annoyed at me because I interrupted some confusing computer training she was doing, and apparently many, many people had been interrupting her wondering if I was OK, and that led up to her being frustrated. Later, when she realized what was going on, I like to think she was glad I checked in.

That night, Ed and I went over to a friend's house. We had arranged to play cards a while ago, and we all decided that in the end, we were OK, and we'd enjoy the company. Ed and I went to retrieve his car by his office (which he had left parked because the streets were impassable - and took the subway that turned out to be perfectly fine, home) and this is when it really hit that life was going to be different. There were almost no cars on the road. Everyone was hunkered down. Ed had to show his Congressional ID every block, because if you didn't have a reason to be by the Capitol, you weren't allowed to be there.

We drove up to Bethesda on what would be a crowded street and saw only a handful of cars.

The next day, when I went to work, there were armed guards everywhere. This, if you have not experienced it, is very unnerving. I mean, I didn't feel all that unsafe when I started my commute, but seeing lots of people with guns made me feel very unsafe. Later, these guards were replaced with tanks, and then finally, a few buildings around me installed more permanent barriers that would prevent cars from getting too close to the buildings. Even though no cars were involved in the 9/11 attacks. But, whatever, I guess people always want to do something, even if it makes no sense.

Every year in September, I cringe when I look out and see those bright blue skies that tend to fill the month. They are such a big reminder of that day. It seems to me that every year prior to this one, the memorials and gatherings, and other remembrances have been everywhere. Everybody is talking about them, people are wondering what to do. Except this year. I really haven't heard much of anything. I have heard about a lot of festivals taking place - the Takoma Park Folk Festival, Adams Morgan Day, Kennedy Center Open House for kids, even a chocolate tasting at Biagio! But I haven't seen a lot of reminders about 2001.

I always wondered how long we'd be inundated with reminders about the date. In a way, I'm glad we're collectively moving on. Nine years ago, I really felt like my life was turned upside down. I really believed there was a chance my partner wouldn't live to see his eventual retirement from his government job. I put a pair of sneakers under my desk and discussed what escape routes from the city Ed and I would take. I rode my bike to work a lot more often. It's good to have normalcy restored. It makes life easier.

But it seems impossible to me that it takes just 9 years to push this event to the collective back burner.

Elaine