September 11, 2001

I awoke that morning knowing that my dear Granny would have been 92 years old if she hadn't died the previous February. As I walked towards the door to the building where I work, I burst into tears. I knew that I wasn't going to be able to get through my shift, so I asked permission to go home. It was 8:10 am when I got home.

I took two Benadryl tablets so that I could go to sleep. Later, the ringing phone woke me up. It was my husband, who was talking very excitedly, "The [Navy] base is in lock-down mode. I don't know when and if I'll be able to get home today!"

Confused because I wasn't quite awake, I asked what was going on. "Don't you know?!" he said. "Turn on the television!"

That's how I learned about the attacks. I think that it was between 10 and 11 o'clock. The wierd thing is, I should have been at work, and yet Nod wasn't surprised that I answered the phone at home - it just didn't occur to him until later that the machine should have picked up.

I watched in horror the events unfolding on the TV. Couldn't stop watching. I called the school to ask if they were closing or if they were keeping the kids. The school secretary said that all the televisions were turned off and they would be dismissing at the usual time. However, she added, I was welcome to sign out my daughters if I wanted.

I realized then that I wasn't prepared right at that moment to deal with this event with my two 11 year old girls - it would take time for me to get a hold of myself.

Nod was able to get home for dinner later that day.

And I knew that Granny would have been really, really pissed that her birthday was ruined like that.