Even though, between the two of them, Will had had the rougher time in dealing with adulthood, Anna’s road had been rocky as well. She was good at school, but that was it, and after college was over, she had no idea what she was doing or what she was going to do with herself. She had gone to London to study abroad during the first semester of her senior year in college, which, although it was one of the greatest experiences of her life, put her farther behind in preparing for what came after graduation. Anna had been in London when the 9/11 terrorist attacks took place, which was a monumentally surreal experience. Everyone had their own stories of that day, but for Anna and the rest of her class, a class made up entirely of American kids from her college, it had been two o’clock in the afternoon, their time, when they heard the news. The director of their program had interrupted their class, coming into the room mid-lesson to let them know what had happened. They were dismissed and most of the group headed down to the pub around the corner, not because they needed drinks (although they got those, too), but because they needed a television. It had been crazy to watch it all unfold from the other side of the ocean and no one was sure what they should be doing. Anna didn’t know anyone in New York City, but one of her classmates’ father worked in The World Trade Center, as well as his Godfather. He had been beside himself with worry and unable to contact home because all the phone lines were jammed. Anna and the other kids were only able to sit with him, getting him beers and watching him chain smoke until, finally he was able to get in touch with his mother. Until then, Anna hadn’t believed in much, but this was the first moment in her life where she truly witnessed a miracle, an angel watching over someone. As it turned out, her classmate’s father hadn’t been feeling well that morning and had not gone into work. On top of that, his Godfather had been out of town on a business trip. Both were just fine and Anna found herself breathing a sigh of relief, even though she hadn’t known either person. The atmosphere of the program changed after that; a couple of kids even returned home once it was generally considered safe to fly again. Anna stayed and even did a little more traveling, a week in Ireland and a weekend in Paris, noting how increased the security was now and remembering a time when she and her friends could drive a half an hour over the border to go to the bars in Canada, where you only had to be eighteen to drink, with nothing but a driver’s license. More often than not, the border patrol didn’t even bother to look at anyone’s identification, except for the person driving the car. That day, everything had changed.
Let's Be Dramatic 