On 9/11/2001 I woke up to my radio alarm and I was still pretty much asleep when it went off for a few minutes (I always woke up slow to it). And I was having this vivid crazy dream about the Hulk and Spiderman and other super heroes fighting in chaos in NY trying to save the world and all the buildings were falling down in the midst of pure pandemonium…

Eventually I woke up in a panic to the radio DJ’s talking about the 9/11 attack. Then I turned on the TV and saw that it was real! I didn’t know what to do. So I called my job to see if we were going to be open.

They told me to, “Come in.”

Now this was the last thing I wanted to do because I had to cross the Bay Bridge into SF from the East Bay. I jumped in my car and jumped on the bridge trembling thinking the Bridge would be a target.

Usually the bridge is packed bumper-to-bumper. But there were only a few cars today. I was able to speed across in record time. I remember it felt like there were only 5 other cars besides me on the bridge.
By the time I got to work, they told me to, “Go home.”

I jetted across again and in my head I was like, “This can’t be…I was JUST there in NY for the West Indian Parade/Labor Day Weekend last week!”

Then later that day my good friend who traveled with me to NY & back a week prior called me and pointed out that we returned on the EXACT same flight, same time, same airport, same airline non stop to SF exactly a week prior to the incident (9/4/2001).

I felt like I had dodged a bullet without even knowing it…

A few months later a ran into an older man I had befriended on the flight home to SF on 9/4/2001. We saw each other from a distance and we gave each other “that look.” We spoke with our eyes first. Then we greeted, shook hands, shook heads and talked about.

I admit I often think about how effected my family would be if my flight was on that day….

RIP to everyone who perished.