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The Day the Earth Stood Still
Posted by: Manuel Gomez from Anaheim, Calfornia Thursday November 01, 2001 @ 07:17 PST
first of all nobody ever calls me, but when my cell phone rang for the third time and woke me from my sleep i knew it had to be a member of my immediate family and that something was wrong. i quickly jumped out bed and ran into the bathroom where i had my cell phone plugged into the charger. i quickly answered with my heart beating a mile a minute and it was my sister deirdre. she shouted my last name "gomez...turn on the television!" i replied "what's happening?" she repeated "turn on the television quickly!" i raced back into my bedroom and turned on my new 40" theater-wide screen television. at first sight of the wtc towers on fire i let out a sound of air that quickly escaped from my lungs. i was just in nyc in may 2001 and had traveled there every month for the last two years. i've recently relocated to california after a temporary two year assignment in washington dc with the immigration and naturalization service. i then hung up and just sat there dazed and confused, unsure of whom to call. i remember i immediately stated crying in complete silence. i was crying to the extent that tears were not rolling down my face, but falling out my eyeballs. i could hear the sound of them hitting the carpet floor like a morris code. shortly after i called my best phone eddie who happens to live in washington dc and was truly amazed i got through at the first attempt. he answered the phone "hello" i said "eddie" and he replied "oh my god...what's going on!" we stayed on the phone together when we discovered the pentagon was also hit. now this was really personal as i occasionally worked in the pentagon while assigned to headquarters in dc. i continued to watch tv as the scenes of the second plane hitting the other tower continued to repeat. then all of a sudden tower two came tumbling down like something out of an outer space movie. i called my boss christina and told her what was going on. she indicated that her husband had already called her, but had no idea that the tower had collapsed. i asked if i should come into work and she replied "yes." as i arrived to work i reported to the director's office. at that point we were advised to dismiss all employees for the day. we proceeded to our division where the employees were gathered and waiting for us. i never experienced such a moment of sadness, helplessness, and the look of despondency in their eyes. many people were crying. we briefed and dismissed them. since the tragedy i have experienced nightmares and have seek counseling. although i feel much better i still cry on the drop of a dime. i've decided to travel to nyc next week. i'm taking my best friend juan, my sister julie, and my niece carissa. we're going to broadway on saturday, dancing, shopping, and to many of the other tourist attractions that nyc has to offer. if i haven't mentioned it all ready, nyc is my favorite city in the world. the energy level is hard to describe, the food is delicious, and the nightlife is incredible. i remember as i traveled to nyc on the train each month from union station to penn station i'd look out the window searching for the first sight of the wtc because i knew i'd be in the most fabulous city in the world just 30 minutes later. i know this trip will be a significant emotional event for me, but i have a calling. my calling is to get to nyc, contribute to the economy, go shopping for clothes, see a broadway musical, and of course, go dancing. i also plan to do something symbolic like leave flowers at a fire station or perhaps just stop by a police station to say thank you. ironically after leaving nyc i'll be headed to washington dc for a couple of days to work on a special assignment. i don't plan to visit the pentagon, but i'll see many friends, go out dinning and clubbing. yes, i somewhat of a party animal. but hey, you got to do it while you're young. many of friends are scared to travel, but i explain to them that you can't live life with your head stuck in a hole because life will just pass you by. my message to all americans and fellow citizens of the world is go out and enjoy life, love your family and friends, wear your best cloths, take your jewelry out of your safes and wear it, travel around the world because life is short and the world is truly beautiful. don't be scared of death because death will eventually happen and death is not a terrible thing, but is a beautiful part of our very existence. just as beautiful as birth...is death and we must all die in order to make room for others to live. it's as natural as a burning forest, once the forest is gone, life will spring up from beneath the ground. first a flower, then a tree, then comes the birds and all else that follows. lastly, to all protestors against our quest for a free world by means of war, remember "freedom" is a high price and sometimes the price is war and if it had not been for past wars you would have never had your right to protest. think of it... god bless america