I had a meeting scheduled for that afternoon, but I had planned to be in the office all day, responding to calls and emails and completing paperwork. Even though there was work to be done, Tuesdays were also a time of fellowship. Since most of us were out of the office most of the time, it was a good day to see each other and catch up with news of our families, health, or anything else.
My office was one of the things I liked about my job. As a teacher I had always worked at my desk in my classroom. My office was small, not much larger than your average cubicle, but it had walls, a door, and a large window along the back wall. It contained my desk, a separate computer desk, two file cabinets, 2 bookcases, desk chair and one other chair. It was pretty crowded but every time I looked out of the window made up for that. From my window I could see the downtown skyline and streetscape. On a good day I could see small boats on the James river, a train passing on the tracks near the river, a helicopter landing on MCV Hospital, or a plane headed east toward the airport. The view from the window was a stress reliever.
It was shortly after the first plane struck that someone called the office and told one of the secretaries that a plane had hit the Empire State Building. I remember most of us thinking about how such an accident could happen. The only TV in our department was one used for staff development in the conference room. And the conference room was already in use for the meetings. I had a five inch black and white TV on my desk. I remember when the director of the department first saw it she said that it wasn't professional. But, you know me, I had not removed it. And I decided to turn my TV on.
It was then that I realized that the plane had hit the World Trade Center and it was worse that we had imagined. A few minutes later I saw the second plane hit the other tower. By that time we knew that this was no accident. A few people had begun to come to my door or come in to see what was happening. Watching the news unfold and watching the towers collapse was like watching a horror movie. It was hard to believe that this was really happening and we were witnesses to a horrible history that no one could have imagined. Before the morning was over there were times that several people crowded into and around the door of my office. And the director, who had complained about my TV, sat in my office for a while to see what was going on. Even with all of the activity of people moving about, phones ringing and conversations, there was still a quiet tone to the office. We didn't know what to think, or say.
I remember trying to reach my daughter. She was a freshman in a university in North Carolina and I had just dropped her off a few weeks earlier. Trying to get through to her cellphone was just about impossible. But after several hours, she was able to call me. When I told her where I was she pleaded with me to leave immediately. By that time the Pentagon had already been attacked and the plane had crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. It was pretty clear that seats of finance and government were under attack. Richmond is around 100 miles south of Washington D.C. and from my office window I could see one of the twelve Federal Reserve Banks in the nation. My daughter had voiced a fear that I had felt, that if the bank was targeted, we could be in danger.
After my meeting in the early afternoon, I decided to take my daughter's advice, leave, and go to one of my schools. As I drove up to the closest school, parents were lined up taking their children home early. I felt tired and numb. I was upset but felt like I needed to hold it together until I got home. So I left the school and stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few things before heading home. The store had changed from the usual background music, that no one notices, to the news which seemed to be at a louder volume than usual. I left and went home.
It was at home that the full weight of the events of the day began to sink in. I like so many others watched TV as much as we could during the next few days. We learned who the hijackers were and about many oft those on the plane. The loss of life was incomprehensible. America had been attacked and in that moment of despair, America came together. When I went out I noticed that strangers would even speak and there were numerous prayer gatherings and vigils. Suddenly, as Americans, we were no longer divided by race or color, we were all Americans. There were a few people who targeted the Muslim community. But the vast majority of the people came together. American flags were flown everywhere. And even though I had a complicated relationship with the flag, I even put an American flag decal in the back window of my car. In many ways, the tragedy of 9/11 brought us together.
Now twenty years later in the tragedy of worldwide pandemic, America is more divided now than at any point since the Civil War. But now the fight is about the control of the bodies of others whether it is COVID, masks, and vaccines or abortion and reproductive rights of women. We are divided about whether we continue to tell the revisionist history of or nation, or finally listen to other voices about our shared history. We are being bombarded by protests, arguments at school board meetings, court cases, and misinformation in social media and opposing media sources. Everyone has an opinion and this is one of my opinions. https://anchor.fm/waltena-pride/episodes/Masks--and-Vaccines--and-Delta--Oh-My-e16s82j.
I wonder if we will ever get back to the time when we came together twenty years ago. Will we the people ever agree to disagree? And will our elected officials remember that they are in office to serve all of their constituents? I'm still holding out hope for decency and for the Golden Rule to be acknowledged and obeyed. Or maybe, I'm just holding out hope.