Ten Years Later

I originally wasn't going to write something about today's anniversary.  Ten years ago, I sat glued to the radio and television at work, just like everyone else, listening and watching the horror unfold on television.

I decided rather than try and put into words the emotions I felt from that day, I would write about my one trip to the World Trade Center with deepest thanks to two great friends.

It was just sixteen months earlier, in June 2000, I had visited new York to see the last seven shows of the Springsteen tour and I was invited to spend a weekend with Flynn and Claudine in Queens.

They are two wonderful friends that I met from the years of seeing shows and as it turned out, this weekend trip actually was a year in the making going back to when I was hanging in the New Jersey parking lot during the fifteen show stand when Bruce kicked off his US tour.

I happened to notice a woman (Liz) during a pre-show gathering that turned out to be a friend of Claudine's. Liz was attractive and I didn't know if she was part of our group or not at the time.  I remember asking Flynn about her, who at some point said something to Claudine.  Claudine had only nice things to say of her friend.

Fast forward to a year later, I think caught a ride after a show back to Queens with them and Claudine tells me how excited she was to have me meet her friend Liz!  She told me the four of us were going out to dinner the next night.  She was very excited to set me up with her friend.

I was caught off guard by this, a little uneasy, I guess.  I'm an Ohio guy, so I had no idea what I would talk about with someone from New York.  She was just someone I happened to notice from one night, a year earlier, and I knew nothing about her.

The highlight of the night which included getting a tour of New York with Claudine driving like someone from the movie "Bullitt," was dinner at the base of the World Trade Center.  It was a Chinese restaurant and I recall it was good.  It was impressive walking around down there, looking up at the sky, towards the top of the towers and it was a very nice evening as I recall.  Liz worked either for a bank or an insurance company and she worked in the World Trade Center which was kind of fascinating to me.

Well the night ended, Liz and I really did not hit it off very well, but that was because of me.  And it's likely not a surprise for those who do know me and can remember the first time you met me. :)

On that day, ten years ago, I remember emailing Claudine at some point that day, asking if she and Flynn were safe and asking about her friend.  Kind of weird I guess, to be worried about someone I met only once, but she was a part of my only trip there.  I found myself relieved that she had been running late and had not yet gone into the office that day.

Thanks to Flynn and Claudine, I got to see the Towers.  I don't think I ever thanked them in the last ten years for that.  Somehow, I overlooked it, but thanks to both of you for that night in my life.