911

It was shortly after nine am when someone came into my classroom at the old Master Cabbie Taxi Academy on 29th Street in Queens to tell me that a plane had crashed into the Word Trade Center...."Really" I said..."Was It big one?"...I recall him saying it was and went back about my job of teaching geography of New York City to aspiring Yellow Cab drivers...

It seemed like a few minutes later he came back to tell me another plane had crashed into the other tower......It was an instantaneous clarification....I uttered the words "Bin Laden"....He nodded...

There was a student in my class, an off duty fire fighter, Anthony. After I learned of the second plane I came back and told the class, and asked Anthony specifically if he wanted to leave...It was instinctual, I didn't know anything specific...At that moment his beeper went off, he signed out, and disappeared down the old rickety staircase.

We suspended the class for a while to get the news....The school was on 29th Street in Queens at the intersection of Queensboro Plaza at the foot of the Queens side of the Queensboro Bridge....We walked over to the subway station and went up to the platform and could see the towers burning. It was not long and we could smell it. A stale taste of burnt air and debris kind of grew into the normal breathing quality and you knew it was not going to change anytime soon.

We went back to the taxi school and managed to get a channel on the network news which was talking but know knowing...The phones would not work. We were hearing about the DC and Pennsylvania planes but most potent in the mix of news and events was the bridge...

People were beginning to pour across the bridge from Manhattan on foot.. A sea of humanity, with dazed and confused looks, knowing they needed to get home, a place to sit and rest, time to think....All traffic was stopped from going over the Bridge except emergency vehicles...and the continual sea of humanity

The day continued with no way for most of the students to get home so we sat and talked...Some of the students ventured a hypothesis that it was the Japanese government getting even for the Atom Bombs of World 2...This was put forth seriously..I was in shock and then realized that they felt threatened as Muslims, of a possible Muslim connection...Justifiably...And Anthony was heroically on his way to ground zero....And I wanted to know where my daughter was....and so many other questions...

I tried to make phone calls none of which went through. So I started emailing but the servers were pretty much down or overloaded.....

When the phones were finally back in service, one of the calls I made was to Anthony. I left several messages over the coming weeks. several months later I called again and the number was no longer in service...I didn't know for sure but I kind of knew...He was a nice guy, had been struggling with his bills and so had come to Master Cabbie Taxi Academy to get a Hack license so he could moonlight on his days off as a firefighter.

He was the only American born student in the class that day and mentioned feeling a little out of place. But only In that he was never aware how important it is to so many immigrants to get their Hack License. None of his fellow students would be fireman in this generation. Their turn would come in the children and grand children of thirty and forty years from 2001.

About a year later I was in the classroom and the Office manager came in to tell me I had a phone call.....IT WAS ANTHONY!! I was overjoyed. Jubilant. Ecstatic and any other adjective you care to add to the moment. I was sure he was dead.....And I was wrong, Thank God.

We had a brief conversation and he said he was coming back, which he did. He had a problem though, his paperwork had expired for filing for the Hack License. This was worth a phone call or two, which I quickly made and with no resistance a Deputy Commissioner at the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission waived renewal requirements and reinstated his application....He was unable to complete this due to his work schedule but was issued another extension by the Deputy Commissioner....This one he finished.

At the end of taxi classes all new applicants are required to pass a test. The tests are given at our school by NY City Taxi & Limousine Commission personnel. On any given Friday there may be as many as one hundred twenty-five people in the room.

This was one such day. As I seated the candidates Anthony came in for his exam, we exchanged hello's and he took his seat.

Right before the exam was about to begin in my remarks to the students I told them of the 911 events of a fellow student, who ran from our building to answer the call. Who had in fact gone to the nearest Manhattan Fire House which happened to be on 30th Street. This was the Fire Company that was all but wiped out as first responders. Luckily for Anthony he was not in that first wave...

When I introduced Anthony the room went wild with Applause. I am talking "Obama Applause" wild...There were tears in Anthony's eyes as he stood up and was honored by more than hundred of his fellow New Yorkers, virtually immigrants all, many, many Muslims, cheering in the moment that could allow them once again to touch the great tragedy in a positive way, as it had touched them in such a profound way, on 911, forever.