All The Smiling Faces

     This is going to be a rough one. I've been studying 9/11 videos all day. In 1981 I went to New York. I had a girl there, and she took me to Manhattan. First thing I wanted to do was eat spaghetti on Mulberry Street. The people were friendly. I wore a cowboy hat (which I never did) and the Italians got a kick ou of that. Then we took a boat ride to the Statue of Liberty. Later I ate a salt water hot dog. I ate it on top of one of the Twin Towers. 

     The elevators were huge, and if I remember right, it took two. You had to go so far, get onto another, and finish the trip to the top. It amazed me that the roof was so small, or perhaps I just expected it to be as impressive as the height. I was glad to get down. I remember the people were so nice, not like I'd heard at all. Coming and going in the building, all dressed so well. They'd talk to me just to hear my Texas accent. I still remember all their smiling faces. 

    When the Towers fell I was stunned. I remember being on top, and I could just imagine those smiling faces up there with no way down. Today, as I watched the footage of the jumpers I considered the process of deciding to do that. No way out, enduring the heat, and finally making the plunge. No control, so you just tumble, and it made no difference how you hit, the result would be the same. A couple hours before you just wanted a cup of coffee and get to your office, and now the ground is rushing up faster, and faster, and then .  . .

     And the ones inside, who didn't jump, but believed the fire department would come, then there was this roar from somewhere up above, and then . . . All the smiling faces gone forever. Office politics didn't matter any more. The bills, promotion, the upcoming baseball game, nothing. Just you, nine seconds, and whatever waits on the other side. 

     I was going to make this a hate article. I was all fired up, even had a clever finish, but I just couldn't make it come together. I couldn't do because this is THEIR day. They paid for it. All the smiling faces. America is at a crisis, but I'm not going to dwell on that. So many others today have hammered those coffin nails.  I'm going to remember a salt water hot dog, a cool day in New York, and all the smiling faces. Today is my birthday, but I don't celebrate any more.