The Bitter Truth is some anniversaries you celebrate. While other you wish never happened. Case in point my first wedding. I still get chills at the end of every May. And September 11th (aka 911.) I remember that horrible day 12 years ago. Marivi & I were already living in Los Angeles and she was pregnant with our first child Audrey. We got up early as usual, turning on the TV just as the first plane slammed into the world trade center. "What the hell was that?" I asked Marivi. We were both shocked by what we saw. Maybe it wasn't real. Maybe it was just a scene from the latest Michael Bay film. It couldn't be real. We stood starring. The phone rang shaking us out of our daze. It was Marivi's sister Tisha, "They're attacking the city! They're attacking New York!" she yelled. That was the moment we saw the second plane slam into the other tower.
I don't remember much of what happened for the next half and hour. More panicked calls from New York City and Rhode Island. More speculation on the TV. Something about a plane going down in Pennsylvania. And one hitting the Pentagon. Idiot Los Angeles broadcasters talked about how L.A. was a target. Man, this place wants to be New York so bad, even in a tragedy. Not really knowing what to do we both kissed, wiped away our tears and drove to our jobs. Why we didn't we just stay home? I have no idea. Shock led to us just trying to go about our routine. Maybe routine would make things better.
I remember how eerie my drive was to Paramount Pictures. Everyone on the 101 seemed to be driving in slow motion. People were crying in their cars. Some were screaming. Other just looked dazed like me. Numb. Instead of radios blasting out songs they all blared AM radio news. It was surreal. I drove trough the gates and made my way to the stage that housed the sitcom "Andy Richter Controls The Universe." Along the way I saw small groups of people consoling each other. Ted Danson hugged a female co-star who was balling her eyes out. Each step took forever. This isn't real. It can't be real. Please don't let it be real.
We waited on stage, listening to a cheap am radio broadcasting updates. Eventually everyone was told to just go home. I called Marivi and she too was on her way back to our place. Another trippy out of body experience drive down the 101. We arrived home within seconds of each other. Locked the doors. And climbed into bed. Silently. We watched the new coverage. The footage of the crashes played over and over and over again. After about and hour we turned off the coverage and just laid in bed. Silent. Holding on to each other. Wondering what kind of world we were about to bring our daughter into. Terrorists? How? Why? Hoping our New York City friends were alright. We just laid there trying to fall asleep. It wasn't even 5pm.
Today is the 12th anniversary of that tragic moment in history. And even though we wish it never happened, 911 did, and it forever changed our lives. We lost so much that day. Those innocent victims. The heroes. The joy of flying. No more reasonably priced bottled water. No more shoes. Those majestic buildings. Not to mention the hundreds of people who died in the years that followed from breathing in the dust everyone from first responders to singer Donna Summer (She blamed 911 for her cancer.) We lost our sense of security. We no longer felt safe in our own homes. Safe in our own country.
Somehow we found the strength to live on. Because we are Americans and that is what we do. We win. Not someone hell bent to destroying our spirit. So on 911 we remember and pray to God it never ever happened again. That's The Bitter Truth.
I don't remember much of what happened for the next half and hour. More panicked calls from New York City and Rhode Island. More speculation on the TV. Something about a plane going down in Pennsylvania. And one hitting the Pentagon. Idiot Los Angeles broadcasters talked about how L.A. was a target. Man, this place wants to be New York so bad, even in a tragedy. Not really knowing what to do we both kissed, wiped away our tears and drove to our jobs. Why we didn't we just stay home? I have no idea. Shock led to us just trying to go about our routine. Maybe routine would make things better.
I remember how eerie my drive was to Paramount Pictures. Everyone on the 101 seemed to be driving in slow motion. People were crying in their cars. Some were screaming. Other just looked dazed like me. Numb. Instead of radios blasting out songs they all blared AM radio news. It was surreal. I drove trough the gates and made my way to the stage that housed the sitcom "Andy Richter Controls The Universe." Along the way I saw small groups of people consoling each other. Ted Danson hugged a female co-star who was balling her eyes out. Each step took forever. This isn't real. It can't be real. Please don't let it be real.
We waited on stage, listening to a cheap am radio broadcasting updates. Eventually everyone was told to just go home. I called Marivi and she too was on her way back to our place. Another trippy out of body experience drive down the 101. We arrived home within seconds of each other. Locked the doors. And climbed into bed. Silently. We watched the new coverage. The footage of the crashes played over and over and over again. After about and hour we turned off the coverage and just laid in bed. Silent. Holding on to each other. Wondering what kind of world we were about to bring our daughter into. Terrorists? How? Why? Hoping our New York City friends were alright. We just laid there trying to fall asleep. It wasn't even 5pm.
Today is the 12th anniversary of that tragic moment in history. And even though we wish it never happened, 911 did, and it forever changed our lives. We lost so much that day. Those innocent victims. The heroes. The joy of flying. No more reasonably priced bottled water. No more shoes. Those majestic buildings. Not to mention the hundreds of people who died in the years that followed from breathing in the dust everyone from first responders to singer Donna Summer (She blamed 911 for her cancer.) We lost our sense of security. We no longer felt safe in our own homes. Safe in our own country.
Somehow we found the strength to live on. Because we are Americans and that is what we do. We win. Not someone hell bent to destroying our spirit. So on 911 we remember and pray to God it never ever happened again. That's The Bitter Truth.
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