It was a cool, bright and sunny Autumn day. I met my husband at the local family restaurant for breakfast because I was not scheduled to work that day. Several of the local police usually stopped at the same restaurant.
One of the detectives got a phone call and said "A plane has hit the World Trade Center." My initial thought was that is was small Cessna type plane. Soon more calls and the police had to leave. The detective stated that the thinking was it is a terrorist attack.
Next I went to get my hair cut and by then a second plane had hit and rumors were swirling. I went home to watch the TV and the reports of another hijacked plane and it was thought to be over Cleveland. Since my daughter was in college in Cleveland, and not too far from Hopkins Airport I was really getting upset. I tried to call her but she was in class, at least I hoped she was.
Next came the report that the plane had turned and was in Pittsburgh's air space. Scenes of horror were imagined as I tried to think if Pittsburgh was the target. No Pittsburgh wasn't, the plane was now flying East over Southwest PA.
Then a crash just east of Pittsburgh............I kept waiting to hear of more hijacking and heavens knows what else. I sat with morbid fascination, dread and fear while watching the collapse of the towers. I wondered why people were told not to leave the twin towers, I was feeling that if I was there I would have left.
It was one of the scariest event in my life as well as others. My daughter's classes were cancelled and I worried about her.