Member-only story
13 Months in a Living Nightmare
9/11, Anthrax, and the D.C. Snipers
(This is the story that got me interviewed by The Washington Post)
9/11 — September 11, 2001
I was in the back seat of a cab that I had hailed at the West Hyattsville Metro station. The driver asked me if I had heard what was going on. Typically I have the cable news on while I’m getting ready for work. But because I wasn’t going straight to work and had an early appointment, I hadn’t bothered to turn the news on. He explained that a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers in NYC. He turned the radio up as I leaned over the seat to hear. By the time he dropped me off in College Park, all hell had broken loose.
As I walked into the dentist’s office the entire staff was huddled behind the reception area hovered over a tiny black and white TV. No one was saying a word. One of them waved me over to join them. As I came around the corner I saw the second plane hit. “I guess there will be no dental work done today” and stepped away to try to call work. Lines of communication were down. I tried their landline. Same thing. So I couldn’t even call for a cab. I began walking south on Route 1 hoping I could catch a ride at some point.
Luckily a cab rolled up and picked me up. I gave him my work address. At the time I…
