THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL.

Where were you on 9/11/01?

My father had just been killed in an assault outside of a bank in El Salvador five days earlier. So naturally, our family was devastated as it was. I was plagued with severe debilitating anxiety disorder and was, (on top of that), trying to deal with his death.

Then came that bloody awful Tuesday morning.

I remember my mother, crying uncontrollably and hearing her shout in Spanish, "¡NUEVA YORK!" from the dining room area. I was locked up in my room, and had not slept well that morning as I woke up to turn on the TV and watch images of the smoking towers. One of them I believe had already crumbled or was about to. I was too out of it to notice.

I opened my bedroom door to find my brother watching the kitchen TV, my mom at the dining table sobbing, saying, "Vienen más aviones secuestrados, tal vez uno para acá." (There's more hijacked planes, probably one on it's way here).

I immediately grabbed my portable radio to try to understand what was going on, and tuned in to Howard Stern, who was live on the air and in utter disbelief as to what had happened and was still unfolding in his city. I debated whether to go to work or just use the bereavement time I still had not finished using up for Dad's death. I called work to see if we were up and running, and was told that we were. I got dressed, went to work, and my HINDI FROM BOMBAY INDIAN DOT ON HER FOREHEAD supervisor still had the audacity to ask me why I was late to work! Gee, I have a personal tragedy to contend with bitch and perhaps the world is topsy turvy this morning as well too! In case ya didn't notice! UH DUH!

Got to work where everyone had the most sobering and devastated looks on their faces. What really got done that day? Nothing really. All I could hear were radios and portable TV's throughout the office. The phones were dead. America was shocked. Horrified. Disgusted. Afraid. Why wasn't our office just told to go home? I dunno, but it was a stupid thing to keep us there the whole day whilst most of the country shut down, and rightfully so.

My walk around the block during my break time was strange. Hearing such peace and quiet in the skies is one of those eerie things about the whole day I will never forget. No planes. I knew what had happened through radio and the Internet. But it was only till I got home that I saw all the footage. The burning towers, the second plane striking, the collapse.

I used to believe that people covered their gaping open mouths in disbelieving horror only on film and TV. But I too did the same thing when I saw those people leap to their deaths. Yes, it was enough to make even the toughest man cry.

By nightfall, I had seen the footage dozens and dozens of times, was pretty angry and embarrassed that this had happened to us Americans. Went to bed, had a nightmare in the middle of the night about the whole awful episode.

Then came the day after...

And the world has and never will be the same since.