I had one of those "Twilight Zone" moments yesterday morning. After I had dropped my girls off for school, my plan was to head straight into the office. I had a ton of work piled up, and I thought that I would skip breakfast and just get these tasks knocked out.
But, the growling in my stomach and a quick check of the time convinced me that it would be a better idea to go ahead and grab some breakfast. Besides, nothing helps me to alleviate stress like bacon and a chance to read the entire newspaper.
So I pulled into Lucy’s Diner, and I grabbed some quarters out of my ashtray. On my way in, I put my change into the USA Today box. There was one newspaper left. And I looked at the date. September 11. Up until that moment, I had not even thought about what day it was.
That’s when I realized that this was the exact same routine I had followed on the morning of the 9/11 attack.
In 2001, Lucy’s was called Ron’s Country Boy. (Same place, same food, though.) And I had just dropped my girls, who were both in elementary school, off for the day. And I remember feeling pressured about the amount of work needing to be done. And I remember reacting to the feeling by deciding to head out for breakfast.
As I walked into Ron’s on 09/11/01, everyone was gathered around the counter. The radio was blasting the local talk radio station (KFRU) louder than normal. So I grabbed a booth and started to look at my USA Today.
I don’t remember if someone asked me, or if I asked someone else what was going on with the radio. But I do remember learning that a plane had flown into one of the
Then the news came about the second plane. The second hit. And reports of an attack in
My brain and my heart wanted to reject what I was hearing. It seemed like the incident in where they broadcast H.G. Wells War of the Worlds over the radio, and people thought that the radio play was actually happening.
Except that this really was happening.
So as I went into Lucy’s to get my breakfast yesterday morning, I made sure not to sit in the same booth.
Come to think of it, I never have sat in that booth again…
1 comment:
I was in the car on my way to JC when the first plane hit. I thought the guys on the radio were joking, so I called my husband to confirm that it actually happened.
I imagined gathering my family at home and never leaving the house again. I refused to go anywhere with large crowds for a couple of years after that...MU games, concerts, etc.
On another note...I can't stand to touch the menus at diners. They're usually sticky and disgusting!
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