My girlfriend took me on a trip to New York. We needed to get away from everyone for a while and she wanted me to see where she grew up before her family moved shortly after the terrorist attack.
When the attack happened I wasn't born yet. My girlfriend said life was different before that day. She used to hang out with her friends near where it happened and things were much more carefree. She didn't even have a cellphone back then. Her parents made her get one after that day.
She said she remembered the exact moment when it happened and she saw it with her own eyes. It burned into her memory forever. People all around looked up at the buildings just stunned. She and her friends fled as fast as they could. On and on they ran, passing by people who were in confusion and shock. They didn't stop until they got to a safe vantage point. They watched the buildings collapse with their own eyes.
When she got home her parents were worried sick. They made her get a cellphone and imposed curfews and every kind of thing. Her freedom was now over. Then they moved to our small town.
She wept over some people she knew who lost their lives. I held her hand, the first time we ever did in public. Our parents didn't agree with us being together. I felt trapped back home and felt much freer here. It was hard for me to understand how here was where she felt trapped. It was also hard for me to understand why she still didn't like cellphones. I can't imagine life without mine. At least we both felt free to love one another here.
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