I still remember it like it was yesterday. You know the way that people say that? When I was a kid I used to hear that phrase and think… what the heck does that even mean? That made no sense to me. Looking back on it now, though, it makes absolute perfect sense.

The memory of some things just gets burned into your brain and it feels so strong that you can remember what you wore,  what you could smell around you, what you were looking at around you, what you were touching, what you were doing when it happened and exactly how you felt when you heard the news. A plane has crashed into the Twin Towers.

It was second period. It was picture day… I had just gotten these disgusting warts frozen off of the bottom of my foot. My foot was wrapped up and it was SO sore. But I decided that since it was picture day, I would wear my heels anyway. These ugly, clunky big black heels that went perfectly with my Brittany Spears “Hit Me Baby One More Time” Inspired outfit (minus the pig tails). I wore them anyway and as I was suffering to walk up the stairs to second period, we got stopped in the hallway. All I could think was “hurry up my feet are killing me”. Then we heard the news. A plane has crashed into the Twin Towers.

I didn’t know what to think. My first thing was what is going to happen now? What do we do? Then I thought… we are so close to there, is everyone okay? People’s parents could have been hurt! My friends and other kids were dropping like flies that day- parents, babysitters, whomever was just picking them up from school and bringing them home. To be honest, we had no idea what was going to happen next and it was the kind of day that you just wanted to find everyone who you loved and keep them close to you. It was just an unbelievable feeling really… to be going about your day as usual (minus the stress of picture day) and then to hear that news. A plane has crashed into the Twin Towers.

So what did I do? Well my parents were both safe and my mom was in the same school as me at the time so she came up to tell me that everyone in my family was safe. I was SO lucky. So fortunate to have everyone who was close to me be safe and not have decided to go into New York that day. So then I started thinking about all of the other people who weren’t so lucky. And I just wanted to go and hug my mom for hours. I wanted to cry a little as well because I felt so sad for any of the other kids who might have lost their moms and/or dads to this horrible horrible day. What do you do when you hear that news? A plane has crashed into the Twin Towers.

I spent summers there as a kid. At least once a week my grandfather would take me to the Jazz concerts that they would hold right in the courtyard outside of the Twin Towers and I would run around dancing and listening to the music. I would occasionally (or often) stare at people’s outfits and especially jewelry to see what I thought about them. My grandfather’s girlfriend was very into jewelry so she got me into that habit. We would get hot dogs and sodas and just listen to the music. I would always spill ketchup or something on myself and I would just be happy anyway. The music was there and the towers were there, protecting me. Filling my summers with great memories. So when I heard the news… I realized that there would be no more Jazz concerts in the summer because a plane had crashed into the Twin Towers.

So that’s what is left of the towers for me. And how could I forget? How could I possibly forget. I remember it like it was yesterday.