I’ve always hated Tuesdays. They seemed to always creep by – unnoticed. And then they started being the start of my week. As a cosmotologist, I had Mondays off. Then my husband started having 6:00 a.m. meetings on Tuesday mornings. They are probably now, one of my busiest days of the week.

On Tuesday 9/11, my husband left at 5:45 a.m. for work, kissed my forehead and told me that he’d see me for supper. I rolled around in the bed trying to go back to sleep, but at 7:15 (8:15 NYC time) I went and made toast and turned the TV on – I’ve never been one to watch the news, so I flipped around until I found something amusing.
Anyway- during a commercial break I started flipping through channels and see a news reporter outside the WTC buildings talking about an “accidental plane crash” into the first tower, smoke rings rising way above her head.

I picked up the phone to call my Mom at work and let her know because we have a cousin who works there. (By the way, she was fine.) I didn’t know what building, I didn’t know who for, I just knew she’d want to know-As her phone was ringing on the other line I see another plane behind the smoke of the first tower. I wanted so bad to warn the news reporter. My Mom had answered by now and I was speechless and bawling. What is the 1 in a million chance that 2 planes would hit the same area just minutes apart? As I was telling my Mom the story, they hit the Pentagon, as she was crying I thought of my husband and what if I never see him again.

The WTC collapsed and so did I. I hit me knees so hard I bruised them. I prayed until I had nothing left to say. I cried until my eyes went dry and I watched TV until I just couldn’t take it anymore.

My husband was home by 9:30 NYC time and he walked through the door and said I guess you’ve heard. I guess my puffy eyes and running nose gave it away.

My life has changed since 9/11 in more than one way. But mostly I now see an American flag and smile. I see a fireman and wave. I pass a police officer in the grocery store and say Thank You. Most of the time I cry and want to hug everyone. But more than any of these my husband and I wake up on Tuesday mornings together and go for a walk before his meeting. We also pray together and Thank God we lived to see another Tuesday.