I took this picture at age 13, with my very own camera, in April of 1983. My dad was a native New Yorker and we lived in Richmond, Va. I think this was the trip where my mom decided at THE last minute not to join us – the car was packed and she removed her bag and declared defection from the family trip. My dad, typically not a nice guy, was surprisingly great. He took my sister and I shopping and let us buy anything we wanted (he knew the way to our hearts!). I took this photo during our boat ride back from the Statue of Liberty. NYC was still 1970s-gritty and I loved it.
Many years later I moved there, in 1999. My dad was thrilled and my mom was not. She never came to visit me. I worked in the first tower at the World Trade Center and was fired from my job September 2000. It’s strange to think on THAT day in September 2001, everyone working in NYC was told to evacuate their building, except those in the twin towers. They were told to remain in their offices. It’s strange to think so many of us were wandering around aimlessly, not knowing where was safe or what would explode or implode next. We were all totally vulnerable and we lived on an island. Many of us had nowhere to go because we lived downtown (thankfully I was able to walk the 30+ blocks to my apartment in the West Village that night). The air smelled of burnt plastic – that’s a smell you’ll never forget – and there was a fog of burning debris for days. Once my cell phone picked up a signal again, I had voicemails from many friends checking on my well-being. They knew I had worked in the first tower but didn’t know my new work address. My sister lived in D.C. so she did not have reception once the Pentagon was attacked. We heard nothing from Mom and Dad. They just didn’t check on their daughters, knowing we lived in two of the three cities attacked by terrorists in the U.S.. Strange how I wasn’t surprised by that.
Since then my dad has died, my mom has died and way too many friends have died. Way way way too many innocent people globally have died, at the hands of terrorists who enjoy killing. I struggle to drum up a positive message from all of this except, Carpe Diem! To quote my sister’s eulogy at Mom’s memorial service, “My mom encouraged us to get the most out of life-take that vacation, buy that car, have another drink.” Mothers always know best.
gettinoldaint4sissies 