On 9/8 , the day of my now wifes bridal shower, I got the call that my best friend, who is also my grandfather, had died.I live in Baltimore, maryland and he lived in Alexandria, Virginia. The funeral was scheduled for 9/11. (The traditional catholic 3 day rule). On the morning of 9/11, my wife called me and told me to turn on the TV. I was mortified. Then I heard the news mention the possibility of closing the bridges around DC. That made things worse. I still headed down to Virginia determined to swim the Potomac if I had to. I was GOING to be there for my grandfathers funeral. As I crossed the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, approx 5 miles away from the Pentagon, I could smell the burning jet fuel. Smelled like burning ethyl and dirt. During the funeral, not a plane was in the sky…everything was silent. I now say that the world stopped the day I buried my grandfather.