September 11, 2001

On September 11, 2001, I was a year out of college and living at home with my parents in Kentucky. I was working full time at Nine West at Kenwood Mall in Ohio. That day I was up early because it was my day to work inventory at the store. I was getting ready for work when my mom came up stairs to tell me that a plane hit one of the World Trade Towers. As I was walking downstairs, I was thinking that it had to have been a small plane, or maybe a sightseeing plane that lost control.

I think we were watching tv when the second plane hit and it wasn't a small plane.

I don’t remember how I was feeling at that time. I ended up going to work and listening to 700 WLW on the 20 minute drive up to Kenwood Mall. I took an old set of Sony radio headphones with me to work so I could listen while I was working on inventory. Everything at the mall at that time was business as usual.

The store opened at 10 AM and I believe we got word shortly thereafter that the mall was going to close at 11 AM for the rest of the day so people could go be with their families. My co-worker Amy and I started closing down the store. We still had the doors open but the lights were off and of course a customer came in and started perusing. I think Amy must have asked her if she needed help with something and told her that we, and the rest of the mall, were getting ready to close. She said she needed shoes for an event that she was attending that night and why on Earth was the mall getting ready to close?

“Our country is under attack, ma’am.” 

After I left the mall, I went to my then boyfriend’s house. I wanted to watch coverage ad nauseam because I didn't know what else to do. I think he took a nap. He may have just not cared or was working 3rd shift at the time. I can’t remember. I do remember looking out his window thinking what a beautiful day it was that day. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was the perfect Fall day.

The days that followed, none of us knew what to do. I attended a peace and prayer rally on Fountain Square with my friend Susan. Susan and I were in our prime and we went out almost every night to the clubs to dance and have fun. After September 11th, we didn't go out for weeks. We thought it would be too disrespectful. No one tells you when it’s ok to start having fun again or when you should stop mourning.

As someone who was fresh out of college and still looking for a career or a “grown-up” job, the events of September 11th also made me want to do something meaningful and make a difference. A little over a month later, I was hired as a temp at a mental health agency. I ended up being hired on full time and that job started my career. Even though the job was extremely stressful with shitty pay, it was rewarding and I was making a difference.