I wake up, not to my alarm clock but to the construction outside. I look over at my alarm clock and realize I have slept in. S***. My kids by now are on the school bus and my wife is at work. It is our anniversary today. I get dressed as fast as I can without even bothering to take a shower or make coffee. I fly out the door and immediately start running to work. I live in a two story apartment that’s only about a 15 minute walk to work. So work isn’t far at all. I stop for some coffee at The Coffee Shoppe, quickly grab my coffee, and jet. Five minutes later I reach the steps of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. I have worked here for about 6 years now and it is a very stressful job. I sprint to the elevator, press the up button and press button 81, the 81st Floor. Three minutes pass. Then ding! The door opens and I run to the Conference Room. I am 15 minutes late. I open the door and everyone is staring at me. I apologize and take a seat. I look at my watch; it’s 7:57 a.m.
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Everyone flies out the door, it’s break time. I take a few steps out of the room when I get a call from my daughter. She is sick at school and needs me to come pick her up. I cannot leave and pick her up so my wife has to. I tell her I love her and that I will see her tonight. The time is 8:44 a.m. I quickly shoot out a text to my wife saying ‘Happy Anniversary and I can’t wait for tonight’. I press send. Then bang, the tower shakes, my ears are ringing, everyone is screaming. I look at the clock it is 8:46 a.m. I run out the door. All I can think of is to just keep running. I get down to the 79th floor by stairs when I feel the urge to just stay put and find out what is happening. I call my wife and she is screaming. She says that a plane just hit the North Tower. Then my wife starts crying and screaming hysterically. She then tells me that the South Tower just got hit too. I tell her I will call her back and I hang up. The time is 9:13 a.m. and it is complete chaos. People are calling loved ones, praying, screaming, and fighting. I’m now on the 74th floor and everything is blocked off. People are just telling everyone to keep calm, but everyone knows what is actually happening. “I call my family and tell them that everything will be alright. I tell them I love them and that I will see them soon. Then my wife in a blood curling tone says to me that the South Tower just collapsed.” The time is 9:59 a.m. My phone cuts out and my wife and kids voices are lost. I begin to cry. Everyone seems to be crying. I see flames above me. I can’t stop crying. I panic and break through a crowd of people. Somehow, I make it to the 71st floor. I trip and fall and I get trampled on. Everything is crumbling right before me. I just want to see my beautiful family right now.

The time is 10:10 a.m. and by now almost everything around me is in flames. The elevators don’t work and the stairs are blocked with people and thick smoke. I look at my phone: it is about to die. I decide to call my family because it might be my last. My wife is crying and I can’t understand what she is saying. My kids don’t know what’s going on because they are so young. They just keep saying “daddy, daddy, we love you so much.” I tell my wife to take care of the kids. I tell them all that I love them to the moon and back. All I can hear out of my wife’s mouth is “No, no, no” This can’t be happening, she says. I have to hang up on them because I know my wife wouldn’t.

The time is 10:22 a.m. and the building is starting to crumble. People are frantically calling loved ones and saying there last goodbyes. I sit on the ground for a minute. I look over and see a piece of paper with a pen next to it. I write a note to my family saying, “Dear, family if you are reading this I just wanted to say that I love you all. I want you to know that I did not suffer through the final moments of my life. Words cannot describe how much I love you all! I wish the very, very best to all of you. I love you Lisa, Happy Anniversary.” I then sign it. I’m now somewhere near the 70th floor. I am looking down below me. I put the note that I had written in my pocket. I just stare down at the street and cry. My tears are rolling off my face then falling to the ground below me. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I think about my life and everything that I have accomplished in those 29 years. Then the time comes. I jump.