Ten years ago today I was in 2nd grade. It was around 6am, maybe 7am I can't remember perfectly, and I walked upstairs to ask my mom something. She was in her room folding a pink towel, I asked her what I went upstairs for and she didn't speak a word. She was crying, staring at the screen, not taking her eyes off of it. I leaned into the room to get a better look at the TV in front of her; I saw a building releasing gray smoke into the air. Being only 6 at the time I didn't understand what I was seeing. She explained it to me but it went over my head, but still I stood there watching it wondering why she was crying so hard "that's happening in New York, why should I care?" was how I thought. We weren't affected by it and yet for some reason she was crying. I kept watching the screen, mindlessly staring. The the second building got hit. Then the first one fell. Mom cried harder, she hadn't set down that pin towel, she was clenching it. I don't remember seeing the second one fall. I really don't remember anything after seeing the first building fall. Maybe I went to school. Maybe I didn't. But all I can remember is being home at some point in the day while my mom was at work and she told my sister and I "If anything happens hide underneath the kitchen counter". My sister, who was 14 at the time, said "oh yeah mom because they're going to attack Colton". I laughed then, but I wish now I could take that back. Usually after school we would be at my grandmother's house while my mom was at work, but for some reason we were at home. I never thought about that until today, did school get cancelled? Did my mom keep us from school? I honestly have no idea but somehow I was home when I normally wouldn't be.
That day is a blur to me but I remember the bits while I was watching that TV. Those images and the terror in my mom's voice will be burnt into my mind forever.
RIP all of those men and women whose lives were taken away from them on that horrid day. No one deserves what they were forced to go through.
(I'll post a proper blog tomorrow)
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