It's Tammy's birthday. Her 22nd. Birthdays are days of great cheer. Especially in our younger years. We drink, we eat, we laugh. All our cares are gone for this one day while we ponder a year gone by and another, even brighter year, on the horizon. We celebrate this special day with our family and friends. Tammy is working on this day. She's a bartender at a sports bar outside Dayton, Ohio. Far from home, she is still surrounded by friends. This particular group of friends will jump at any reason to have a celebration. A birthday, Tammy's birthday, is really special for them and now they have a reason to throw the party to end all parties. They love her and she loves them. They are her regular customers. Yes they're her customers, but each is also a dear friend to her. What a great reason, and place, for a party.
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| Tammy |
Not tonight. Not this year. The bar is eerily quiet and somber. There are some silent tears from her customers as they sit nursing their drinks and wondering what the future now holds for each of them, their families, friends, and our country. Even the biggest, baddest, most boisterous is quiet tonight. His eyes wet with tears he doesn't want others seeing. They are quietly crying, reflecting on, some praying for, those lost today. People they don't know. People they've never met and probably never would. Yet people they developed an instant bond with, as did the rest of the world. They are in shock, confused by the sights they've seen today. All eyes continue to be glued to the television tonight as they will be for days to come. Tammy is on the phone with her mother 500 miles away in South Carolina crying, along with her mother, for all those lost. "What a way to celebrate my birthday, and all the rest to come." You see, this birthday is September 11th, 2001. She was young but understood the impact this date will have on the American public for years to come. Hopefully, eternally.
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