Oh 9/11. That tragic day. We all have our stories about where we were & what we were doing at the time we heard the news. I was living in Lubbock attending classes at Texas Tech and working at a nursery keeping care of all the plants. I was at the nursery when the news came in. I remember I was tending to the junipers, imagining myself in Colorado when one of my coworkers found to tell me what little news there was. I rushed to the office and everyone had stopped what they were doing to stare at the TV. I won’t forget how I felt. Sick inside and scared.
Do you remember how different the world was before that day? Do you think it changed the trajectory of your life? Would you be where you are if it hadn’t happened? What if your life had turned out totally different? For better or worse. And event like that change the world.
*****
Here is a scenario:
Let’s say that you are happily married with 2 lovely children. You and your spouse met 10 years ago while you were attending a business conference in Seattle, Washington. It was a chance encounter. Due to air travel having been shut down because of the terrorist attacks, the two of you were stranded & just happened upon each other at the hotel bar. You instantly made a connection. After the conference was over you exchanged contact information and both went your separate ways. You kept in touch the following months and eventually decided to plan a trip to see each other again. The first night together things became romantic. You had never felt this way with another person. You both vowed to find a way to close the distance keeping you apart.
Flash forward. You are now celebrating 7 years of marriage. You have a 6 year old son and a 4 year old daughter. You have a nice home in the suburbs’. Both of you have made good for yourselves. Although you don’t love your job, you still find it challenging and the rewards outweigh the drawback. The kids are the jewels of your eyes. Life is grand and you wouldn’t change a thing.
Now let’s say 9/11 never happened. Because it never happened air travel was never shut down. When the conference was over you packed your bags and made it to the airport to fly back home. The following weekend you have a wedding to attend. You are not really looking forward to it. One because you kind of want a weekend to yourself after the conference & two, you don’t really know these people anymore. It’s a bunch of old college friends you no longer keep in touch with but somehow you feel obligated to go.
After the wedding ceremony you try and get away from everyone by quietly slipping out a side door to have a quick smoke before going back inside to socialize. It is in this moment that you meet a man or woman who is also smoking. You start up pleasantries. Both of you have enough booze running through your systems that conversation comes easily. It also does not hurt that you find this person attractive. Once back inside you find yourself at a table engaged with this person. The reception is wrapping up and it time to go. By chance the man or woman you met is staying at the same hotel which you are staying at. That night, the romance strikes. Not in small part because of all the alcohol that you both consumed.
You both end up being from the same city. Things move quickly between the two of you and in a years’ time you find yourself married & living in a downtown apartment. At first the marriage seems ideal, but cracks begin to form. You fight often over petty differences. Your husband or wife starts coming home later and later. Suspicion sets in. One evening spent calling and calling your spouse to no response he or she walks in wasted. And argument ensues and he or she drops the bomb that they want a divorce. That he or she has been cheating on you. You are shattered.
Flash forward. You did not take the divorce well. You fell into a dark despair. You had moved out of the shared apartment and found a single for yourself. You turned toward the bottle for comfort on those long lonely sleepless nights. Because of this, productivity at work began to falter. Your boss, although casual friends, is feeling the pressure from his superiors. He has no choice but to let you go. It’s another gut punch to what has become a common fixture in your life.
Weeks without income or the “want to” you are in trouble. You have dipped into savings and are blowing it away on booze. You’ve lost weight. You don’t keep up with your hygiene. There are days you do not go outside at all. You spend your time watching the sun go down through the cracks in the window.
Facing financial ruin eviction is only a matter of time. You make the choice to leave the apartment and lucky for you your parents are kind enough to take you back in. But this means moving back to your home town. The town you swore to yourself you would never return. Your pride is shattered. Once under your parent’s roof they expect you to better yourself. But you don’t listen. It’s not that easy. They don’t understand that you NEED the booze. You actually are beginning to think that you might need something stronger.
You reconnect with a shady old friend form high school who can access prescription drugs. You want to feel numb. You begin taking oxycontin. Your parents immediately notice the difference in you. You have a fight. They try and try but you are not working with them. Matters come to a head when you pawn a cherished family heirloom for money to buy drugs. You give them no choice but to put you out. It breaks their hearts to do it but you burn bridge after bridge. Your father sets you up with enough money to rent an apartment and buy some food. He wants to believe that you will use the money wisely. You don’t.
Flash forward. Your life spiraled out of control. You find yourself in the slums sharing a dilapidated shack with 3 other meth heads. That’s right, you are now doing meth. You have been using for 2 years. That first hit of “The Rock” brought you the peace that you had been seeking. You chase that peace every hour every day. You can’t get enough of it. You have done terrible things to obtain it. You are a shell of the man or woman you once were. Sometimes when you look into your eyes in the mirror you don’t recognize the person looking back. Sometimes you do see yourself and you can’t bare the sight.
One evening while obtaining your fix from an unreliable dealer, the “friend” you are with decides to pull a gun on the man. He thinks it’s a good idea to rob him. You stand by in horror as it all goes down. They exchange shots. Your “friend” is fatally wounded. The dealer coughing up blood. You are too shocked to know what to do. Unfortunately for you, or perhaps fortunately, the cops were on surveillance watching the place. It was known that drugs were going in and out of the place and they were trying to find the supplier. They heard the shots and they bust in the doors to the scene of one dead, one wounded, and you standing shocked in the corner. They slam you down and cuff you.
You are now sitting in a cell downtown. You made your one phone call to your parents who will get in contact with the family lawyer. Lucky for you this is your first offence. As you sit and wait you try and piece together what happened to your life. What was the turning point? Things were supposed to be different. This was not the life you were to live. What happened?
If 9/11 had never happened the lovely life you have would not have been. No lovely husband or wife. No beautiful children who are currently running through the sprinkler out on the lawn laughing together in the summer sun. That pie you smell in the oven that you’ve been excited about wouldn’t be. The vacation to the Bahamas kaput. Everything gone. If you somehow had this insight. Had a glimpse of what your life would be if 9/11 had never happened & somehow you were given the power to go back and prevent it, would you give up your happy life? Would you sacrifice it all to save those 2,977 people? What would you do?
Inspired by a Direct TV commercial
September 13, 2019
JS
*****
Yeah, that was dark. A little creative writing for the day. I miss my short fiction class. It was always exhilarating reading a work that you created in front of a classroom full of people. And then you had to pass out copies so everyone could come up with a critical response to your story. Sometimes that was brutal to hear. Anyways, here is the food of the week. Nothing spicy this time around. Well, except Friday & Saturday. Bekah didn’t think I could go a week without my much loved pepper. I almost succeeded.
Here are a couple pictures from the week.
Snails! 
DIY star jar. 
Surprise storms! 
No Jalapeño!!!!!
Orange Soda Chicken. This was just a weird experiment and I really didn’t know how it was going to turn out. So you blend 12oz of orange soda with soy sauce, minced garlic & ginger. Grill some chicken thighs. Bring the sauce to a simmer and reduce. Once reduced and the sliced chicken and coat fully. This turned out to be a delightful meal. The sauce was just sooooo good I really couldn’t believe it.
Hoisin pork tenderloin. I’m not sure what held me back from making this. Love hoisin chicken & beef.
Grill teriyaki chicken with bell peppers, onion and pineapple.
Bekah made some breaded pork chops. And what’s that side? Cauliflower mashed potatoes. This meal just really came out of nowhere. My pork was overcooked but hers was just fine. The flavors were great. I think it would have turned out better if the pork had not been so thin.
Little crockpot chicken with green enchilada sauce, taco seasoning & peppers. Thank you Jamie for the simple flavorful recipe. I need to use my crockpot for things other than roast and soups. Especially on Friday when I sometimes really don’t feel like cooking.
Bekah was gone so I made pizza. Seems to be the only time that I ever make pizza. A tradition? I experimented with a premade pizza dough. I must say I was surprised. It doesn’t match my own but that’s to be expected. I also made my first ever white sauce pizza. Alfredo, chicken, spinach, jalapeno & onion. Made for a tasty meal. And yes, I am a nerd that bought his own pizza box. 🙄
Cocktail of the Week: Blackberry lemonade spiked w/ rum
En Fuego 