It was exactly a year ago. 4.15.13. I was sitting at my desk in Faneuil Hall and I heard sirens. Then I heard more sirens. And more sirens. It was a creepy sound because I've never heard that many going off before. I was looking at Facebook and saw one of my friends post a picture of the aftermath of the explosion. I was shocked. That couldn't be right. I looked online, and sure enough there were a continuous barrage of updates and pictures. Everyone in my office started talking at once. The phones started ringing. We were all crying, and trying to contact our loved ones, to tell them we were okay, and to see if those we know who were there were okay. We watched the news on the computer, and then the partner said we needed to leave and go home. Public transportation was shut down. Nobody was being let into the city. I was stuck in the middle of Boston with no way home. I was terrified as bomb squads and trucks passed by me sweeping for more bombs. Cell phone lines were jammed so I couldn't make any calls. There was no cabs. Every cab that drove by was already filled with people. Finally, a Russian man with a town car offered to give me a ride back to the South Shore and we listened to the news the entire ride to where I was parked at the T station. Looking back I remember how terrified I was, and how we were all just sad. Innocent people were killed and hurt. But still, Boston came together to help one another. Complete strangers were offering their homes to those who needed a place to crash. Marathon runners continued running to the hospitals to donate blood. These bombers picked the wrong city to mess with because Boston is resilient and we are strong. We're Boston Strong. As Big Papi said, "This is our fucking city."
Run To. Run For. Don't Run From.
"Boston is a tough and resilient town. So are its people. I'm supremely confident that Bostonians will pull together, take care of each other, and move forward as one proud city. And as they do, the American people will be with them every single step of the way." —President Obama
0 comments:
Post a Comment