Hey MA listeners. This year we are celebrating our twenty fifth anniversary- that's twenty five years of uncovering what it means to be human understanding, each other better and building community through true personal stories in To ensure that the moth continues to thrive for another twenty five years and beyond were raising twenty five thousand dollars during the month of March. If you can ten dollars, fifteen dollars or even twenty five dollars? We would be so grateful text moth, three hundred and thirty five, one thousand four hundred and forty four or visit the moth org to make your donation today, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. This is the most radio our I'm Jennifer hits. The maltese true stories told live often by people

custom to addressing a room of a few hundred to over a thousand strangers, but when the tellers take the stage and the audience quiet down, nervousness dissipate and the story takes so in this hour will hear for stories. A man is caught up in the life of a very famous Nineteenth century poet, a woman travels to a spot in New Mexico. Wear clothes are optional, a daughter tries to surprise her mom at the World Trade Center one September morning, and this first story about a ski slope and a superhero Bobby Stoddard is a carpenter from Vermont. He told the story for us at a show presented in EAST Lancing, Michigan and collaboration with Michigan public when here's body, live at the them so I'm from remind- and I I love living in Vermont,

and in order to love living in for my. U, you really need to love winter. Guessing of you feel the same way I love everything about it. You know the smell the wood stove in, but it's really the snow and makes it for me. and my favorite winter and Vermont was one thousand nine hundred and ninety nine. It was a big snow year and I was a part time carpenter and a full time. Ski bum and The other thing other than being a big snow year that may that are really amazing year was our local Ski Mountain Bolton Valley, went bankrupt and both values at that

of a steep whining mountain road and the only reason you would go up. There is to go skiing and if they are not rain lives, no one's going up there, except for me and some of my friends, because we like to highlight four it, because if you are, if you love skiing, you love powder powder is the church and if powders, the church than the holy GRAIL is fresh tracks. And if your hiking up in an abandoned scheme out you're gonna, get fresh tracks all day, we did. We got em all winter long. We would hope that mountain address tracks. when you see down, and nobody has speed in front of you and sublime. So I was up there one Saturday and I was actually just with just my dogs and I was alone and I hate them out, and I got my turns in and I get down to the bottom of a mountain.

And between the bottom of the chairlift. In the parking lot there is a little gully and I'm just I want to maximize my vertical. So I can. I just drop down into the Scully and I spin around so I'm facing up the mountain just to see how far back to my dog, my dogs were- and I undo my bindings and night- and I look up- and I see my dogs over here and then- and I see something over here and it's it's a mother and a father and a little baby boy and they're about a hundred yards up, the mountain and they are playing with sleds. And I watch as the Father take this little eighteen month old boy and instead him in this little red plastic sled face first and slide him. Just you know about 7ft to the mother who been

I still have to desert like she's missing. He was right through her legs and in an instant. This kid is rocketing down the mountain and the dad jumps in his letter. He talks it takes up after embody, he's never gonna catch him, and this is a scheme out. This is not a backyard hill, the kids flying out amount and as soon as I see him, take off, I start running and I'm running in the direction that is headed by its soon. As I take the first step, I can no longer see him cause I'm down at a scholar, and I could just barely see them over the lip of snow and as a charging through this colleagues, it's getting deeper and deeper starting.

approximate more of a ravine and I run to where I think this kid is headed and I haven't seen him in a while, but I know he still coming because I can hear his mother shrieking. This primal scream screaming Parker jump out, Parker Parker and I look up and there's a steel pipe sticking out of the ground. It's a snow making pylon and now I'm sitting looking at this pipe and I'm waiting and I'm listening to this mother and then all of a sudden very is this little kid is clinging to the front of his little face and he shoots office cornice of snow. This is that pipe by just an inch his sledge goes flying. He does. It is a flip in the air, and I just catch him like right out of the air, and now I've got him and he's in my arms and looking down at him. His little like

and use our lies at me, and then the tax gifts to stop and the dead is again because the pears ever saw me they didn't see me snowboard. I didn't see me start running. He just size little guy, just. And he stared, I mean says, who are you and I just woke, I said I'm Bobby. And he says: where did you come from our steer? and then the mother shows up and she tumbles down to the snow, and she comes up to me and- and I and I hand her Parker And- and this woman clearly wants this baby and she take the child and she just crumples and she's wailing and crying and of course now park is crying because she's crying

and am I I didn't she soothing the kid like he was fine when I gave her baby and now his brain and I really can't even fathom why she's like so the dad starts talking to me and he says something he says Bobby. You read the Bible. No, this is all I read. The Bible now believe that guy does anything without a purpose, and I believe God put you here today

my son, you know and I'm not a big guy guy and but someone says some like that to you know, take stock and I start replaying it and sort of the magnitude of it. And then I look up and I look at that steel pipe coming out of the ground and I picture parkers little face lying behind and my whole world just goes into slow motion and all of my senses become amplified. My sense of smell and taste in hearing are just electrified. I walk up to him and were talking and I'm listening to oxygen, enter his lungs and come out of his lungs, and I am feeling saliva course through my glands and I go to shake his hand, and I can I can feel his fingerprints on my fingerprints when I get in my car and I'm driving and I'm watching raindrops explode in slow motion off my windshield that I'm smelling,

your ads in houses that are shut. Then there are a hundred yards away and I'm like This view right This is what it feels like when you find what you do I tell what I do I catch baby. right. I have a superior. You know. I I go out to a bar with my friends at night and I know how many exactly how many people are in a bar and when they came and when they're leaving and I'm watching settled, nuances and body language around the room, I'm expecting a fight to break out. I'm so wake up the morning and I'm still there and that day I was flying out to visit my sister in Colorado and on the way to the airport. I am vigilant, I'm looking for a little late, the road and run away by two kids bank robbers and

I get on the airplane and we're flying and a little ways into the flight. We encounter some turbulence in its that turbulence. It's like no fun your, but is at your seat, and your gut is in your throat in its relentless and it's not stopping, and the pilots not telling us anything else. He's done is turned on the passenger seat belts. And the mood in the cabinets getting grim, people are starting to move a little like ok game. I'm gonna do something like that not delusional. I don't think I'm going to stop the plane from crashing, but I'm going to do something like I am in a minute. You know what I'm going to do, I'm going to say just the right thing, I'm going to like I'm going to Minister.

I'm going to I'm going to look someone in the eyes and tell them that their lover, man ultimate and I'm like wait. How am I going to become like I'm crashing to and then it comes to me I realize like I could die today. You know if I had a great life, I've had varied and diverse First, if heads and sublime meals, I watch the sun rise from the top of Temple for into I cut of babies, good I could go and in it and it works com, I'm ready in the flames by nothing.

We may find a turbo stopped fine. So the next day of my sister's house, I notice that almost equal powers had gone away and then it didn't take long for a sort of this idea that I was out to save people also kind of went away. But the one thing I kind of cap was this idea that I can I can died, I could die headliners as a great food in Guatemala, and it could actually worked me. It's a subtle monster. I pull it out when flights are funky, yours things are getting sketchy and I just use it when I needed

A few years ago, my wife gave birth to our daughter Hazel and a few months after that, I found myself on an airplane headed to California in a little ways into the flight. We encountered some turbulence and like not a lot like a modicum of turbulence. You know just enough to make you sort of look up from your book, and so I do. I look up from my book and I reach for my mantra in it's gone and in its place

feeling you get when you write precipice and someone jostled, you you know when you and your life pleasant, verve your eyes, except that it's not my life, it's my daughter's life and its complete, and it's got the highs and lows in the first and the first. I'm writing a bike, the first asking for some getting on the school bus and there's grumpy teenage years and in Randy Boyfriends, but I have to contend with in graduations and like a right and a white knuckling on the airplane, and then it comes to me like I'm. Not my life is really not just my life anymore, in large part, belongs to this little person. As you know, a siege of a kid you're vulnerable and they're so vulnerable without you, you need each other now feels good, really good, and so now I'm certain bliss out of

flight and, as some kicking back in my chair and sort of releasing my hands the image of that mother clinging to her little baby. On the side of that snowy mountain comes to me and I finally get it says: Prime all love that lays dormant in our most primitive. And when it's triggered and unlocked it just overwhelms us, and then I was thinking now. I know my purpose is now. I know it's right for me. You know in my tiny little daughter made me feel that way,

still does things TAT was bodies done. Lobby is an avid steer and world traveler and dad side. Note body is a national and world champion ultimate frisbee player, which might explain his excellent in baby catching to see it. Bobby visit our radio extras page at the moth dot org while there you can share any of the stories you hearing on this hour with your friends and family were also on Facebook and twitter at them off. In a moment will hear about a man whose ass to make EDGAR Allan POE relevant to a melting pot neighborhood in the Bronx. the moth radio hours produced by lanting public media and woods whole Massachusetts and presented by p r exe.

Let's talk about what is professional today on linked in important conversations are happening around what it means to be a professional right now linked in members, are talking about things like needing more flexibility around where we work, how we work and even taking time away from work to focus on family or mental health, because the Things should not stunt career development and growth; instead, they should enhance it, as we show up on our own terms, members or even pudding, with most important to them in their job titles. With things like podcast host, Slash activist, Slash mom, I know I'm gonna update my linked in to say, executive producer, Slash story, director and writer. Slash aunt, Slash, hiker, an avid traveller professional is ours to define and are authentic self is our professional self. So if your linked in doesn't reflect who you really are update your job title post, your truth show the work,

the authentic professional you enjoying the conversations redefining professional I'm linked in linked in welcome professionals. The mouth is brought to you by progressive. Are you thinking more about how to tighten up your budget? These days, drivers who saved by switching to progressive, save over seven hundred dollars on average and customers can qualify for an average of six discounts when they sign up a little off your rate. Each month goes a long way get a quote today: a progressive dotcom, progressive casualty, insurance company in affiliates national annual average insurance savings by new customers surveyed who saved would progressive between June twenty twenty and may twenty twenty one potential savings will very discounts very and are not available in all states and situations This is the moth radio, our from pr acts, I'm Jennifer Hickson from them off. Our next story comes from a show we did on the island of Nantucket. The theme was walk. The line here

Matt Mercier live at them off on Nantucket, so I'm sitting indemnities Pub on the Bowery

drowning my sorrows in a pint of Guinness I've just lost both my jobs. The rent is, do yesterday, have credit card debt and student loans pile to the ceiling, not one job prospects on the horizon. Until I friend turns me like, I might have the solution to your problems. Do you want free rent for the rest of your life in New York? Should hang you? What do we have to do to get that they really? You do have to live in the Bronx, whereupon the grand concourse long, forty five minute commute away from anything what else basement apartment it doesn't get much light pain, twelve hundred dollars a month for that privilege in queens. What else? Well, the big commitment is on the weekends,

The house is a historical house and the apartment in the basement. Museum is on top and you give tours on the weekends you're the caretaker in the dose and that's how I get the free rent and by this time he said, free, rent enough that it sunk in free rein, in New York. This is the unicorn of real estate. Why my yeah I'll? Do it signed up to it? You hold on one more detail. You have to be well adjusted to live in this house by yourself, because you see at once belonged to EDGAR Allan, POE, Easyjet, it it's not Eddie basement its pose basement. It's it's melancholy squared here. It's really sad and these facts if scared aware more well adjusted person, but I'm desperate, I'm penniless and maybe just a teensy bit pressed. So what other words

it's perfect! This is it this time you have so you're ranges an interview, ethically most of us. I haven't read persons high school. I associate him with Vincent Price and apes with razor blades and ravens, not so I, but so I had to bone up the week before I memorized Annabel we try to them eyes. The bells that doesn't go so well, I read a biography, is really depressing and said in short, violent life. So, but I throw myself at the Bronx historical society, s sake. I impose number one fan as long as I don't have to wear frock coat and a fake moustache and recite the raven every weekend. I can do this. This is my destiny and they say well a lot of people philistine,

will you do Matthew when they hear the words free rent people get a little crazy, but we take this very seriously. You need to know your po history and we also need you to sign this contract says you will not leave after a month. And then you'll stay at least a year leave after a month. Why would anyone we and I just made off color jokers cuz Of caretakers gone mad in the poorhouse and they said no, no, no, nothing that bad bad, but we just would like you to consider yourself. You know people

Forget that this job is very hard in the Bronx would be a very isolating place. So in an caretakers you know there are just one has been. We want you to consider yourself an ambassador to the neighbourhood. Ok, but don't let the neighbourhood! No! You live in the house, just scared purposes. Privacy issues are acts as a key can do that. So a month later I'm awarded the position of caretaker and head doesnt an ambassador to the rocks me. It sounded ridiculous it

Ridiculous, and then I took the fort train up to the northern Bronx, got off a Kingsbridge Road and headed Easton. I'm hearing jamaican accents korean exit mexican Bengali Pakistani. While I am the outsider here like this, you have to be ambassador. How we're gonna make a nineteenth century poet relative to the twenty first century global community. This is a bit much. I get up to the grand concourse four lines of north south traffic hissing Basque, and for Then there's the cottage cross, the street little Nineteenth Century clapboard farm house, look like little house on the prairie. The urban addition just like did not belong there and so was ended. so across the street? There's a young man on the corner with a very pronounced limp, and he right in on me. What's up man what we need now you need I'm good. Thank you realize realise that must be the

we'll Heroin dealer. I move into the basement. Sure enough has only got one window looks right on this corner. I can see this guy doing this thing. and I ran into him every morning, because PO did not pay. I had to get another job downtown, so I'd get up early, the crack of dawn for the community and walk out to the gate. The property was encircled. Was it a little city park in whose encircled by a locked gate, I called it the gaiety community of one and I go out the gate, walk up the corner and see this guy every morning and one could say the same thing: what's up man would any good. We did this about four or five times, for he got a hit, but there's still this tension between to us every morning because from his vantage point he could tell where most people are coming from and the neighbourhood, but for the life of him I know he can never figure out where the hell I'm coming from, because the cottages

there in the middle of nothing in our just pop out Guph Little drug free goes floating on by everyone Look at each other mutually. I know he thought I was an arc or he's just thinking if his kids, not here at five a dot m to buy drugs. What is he doing here? He does not belong, and I didn't it was so hard to become part of the neighbourhood, and then I started my job as dose it at the house, and that is even harder. I started in the middle of winter and Only people to come to the northern Brahms in the winter to see pose house are the hard core PO fanatics, scholars, historians, Phds and actors. who are poor, training, PO and I'm getting drilled, and some of them have been there before, like, oh so, you're the new guy huh. What can you do

about the Griswold scandal and its effect on pose reputation. Did you write that Britain, the pendulum here no Philadelphia, you're wrong? So I just I would mixing up my dates. that's right, and sometimes I didn't know the answer I would just make stuff up- did smoke. Opium bears The report's sounds great so and I get a call from a historical society that, due to the facts right and be diplomatic and that it, but it was particularly to be diplomatic with one breed of visitors that showed up at my door occasionally and one such gentlemen shows up on a Sunday afternoon in the winter scuttled pot billion, bearding glasses and how Through my speech he says, let me just stop you. Let me just stop you. Let me ask you something do

really consider PO to be a major american poet and nobody ever asked my personal opinion. I just been regurgitating facts, so I said yes, so do you use? It was unfortunate that you feel that way I consider it a second rate personally, but I understand what I have to say that, because you're working here you have to defend him. He's your author. I understand that because I look after historical ass to go. You do in fact its authors house, oh pray, tell. Who is your author? Oh, you might have heard of him goes by the name of Walt Whitman. Yes, now, historically, keep in mind. Whitman did not like pose poetry, you thought was a little too dark for America So here is the rivalry, the modern carnation.

By this time. I have gone completely native. My hair, I like this. I got one stop sideburns, I'm drinking alot, I'm angry and am lashing out at my critics. I am like right. You know, I've always felt Walt Whitman was a pretentious gas bag the guy I never heard of a period free verse, I don't really feel this way, but I am not myself anymore. I am possess once. You said you can't say that about women. Look into the brain, OX pal? So we do things here, and I wish this conversation would happen. I get into arguments with rival caretakers from the literary homesteads this and I would get angry I do about it. I will look. Why does, though, I should in Irving House

sleepy hollow get all the non profit funding who's that I have headless, horseman, Philistines and arts like, You know I'm becoming more passionate, but also slightly more unhinged And I'm getting buried alive, every other weakened by snow storms which cover up that one window me with no natural light about time

springtime arrives. I M Pale and Harry I'm like a hybrid eating. Grizzly bear like coming out of my dad. I'm hungry, I'm angry and I want human connection in and with spring, from the buds in other trees, and but also the local people start coming through the park. They walk through the park and see me sitting on the porch and like all right embassadors. I could do this right and they come by all we didn't notice was a museum and they walk right up and butter number. One question is: do you have a bathroom as I did when I get tell you that I have? No, I don't. I don't have an I'm sitting on the porch when avenant thinking how magnetic pole office ambassador role that this neighbour, which I don't belong and I'm sitting out there and a gentleman it's late in the day on Sunday about to close up and a gentleman comes through the walk, gay and a notice he's a very pronounced limp and it's the dealer and no is from back in January, and this time it isn't asked me. What do I need? Can I get a tour come on it, so it comes into the

parlor just the two of us now- and I am my insights- are tightly. Why a bit spring I am so, can you get a little smile on his face and is looking at me in everything he asks me is no different than anyone else has ever asked me book coming from him. It's completely loaded. He says I didn't know, walk past this house's every day at a nose museum. Look at all this furniture looks pretty old. Is it worth anything? No nothing swift, but what it pull right here, cask of Amontillado the one about murder right either. About murder of stories about murder photo. Who doesn't right so.

Only closed his eyes and puts two fingers up to his temples and gets really quiet like this, and you sways back and forth for a full minute. Did I don't know what's goin boards and then he opened his eyes takes those fingers of ASEAN. at me he says once upon a midnight dreary as I pondered weak and weary of many, a quaint, incurious volume of forgotten law, as I nodded gently napping. So There came a wrapping wrapping and I stand there: a gas and listen to the whole first half of the Raven

Not the whole poem but the whole first half, which is pretty and it gets to the first nevermore it kind of petered out, but I certainly did not. I did not expect this and my jobs like I'd, like that's impressive, that's fantastic to memorize that in high school I hate that poem and that's just broke. Everything up would just like everything, average would and price and horror movies and he's give me suggestions

if you like workin here, you should go to Woodlawn. Seventy miles, Davis is buried up there and all the other stuff is and we're going back for twenty minutes conversation and in great now walk amount in the porch Jake's man it a little smirk on his face and you do want a pretty good job here, keep up the good work by the way. I got one more question for you: do you live here? You live in this house really. I really wanted to say yes, because we had such an honest discussion, but of course I see no says as to bed pretty cool, live in this house and I can tell from the way he says there, but I am not fooling him one bit, he knows exactly, but it now seems to be the simplest and understanding like. I won't tell anyone that you live here by yourself,

You don't tell anyone what I do on the corner or that I have nineteenth century poetry memorized, so we leave it at that. He walks off course. In that moment, we'd flip roles he's the ambassador, I'm the tourist and I have just been. Officially welcomed to the Brock's, like you that was Matt Mercier matters, a writer storyteller an edge on professor in New York City. These days he's working on a non historical novel about pose cottage in the Bronx he's thinking, I'm calling it pose basement To see a picture of Matt during the time he worked at the Po House visit the moth Org

next toward them. Here, a story from one of our story: slams in Saint Paul, where we partner with Minnesota public radio at story. Slams tellers interpret the theme of the evening with a true story from their lives. and judges in the audience choose a winner. The theme for this story: slam was fish out of water. Here's Jennifer Cone horse I've been so Two years ago I took a little many vacation to Santa Fe New Mexico and everybody. I told that I was going there had one piece of advice, and that was you gotta go to this. Ten thousand waves, it's beautiful spots, japanese spar and it's it's love. Lee and you'll love it. So after my first day, sight. Seeing is a beautiful place. You know Adobe buildings, blue skies, I thought I'd go there, so I go back to my room and I look upon the internet cause. I'm like I don't know why to bring to a spot Not a spot person

Because I'm saying at a hostile the cars, twenty bucks a night that gives you an idea, play. I can do everything you need is provided towels, you know, robe, slippers and clothing is optional and I'm like it's an option, an option to not wear clothes this is not an option that I considered. I consider it and I can say all the way there and while I was checking my kind of weird naked, and I decided you know in the locker room, leave the bathing suit and locker and I'll I'll. Do this because, like why not I never gonna see these people again. It's a bit. You know it's the chancellor something new so I can open up my little robe and slippers and I go up in its little dark pathway lit by japanese lanterns. It is you know, to its credit, very beautiful place and I get to the we were the hot tub in Santa are, and it's a? U pay like a day right to go there and its evening and its dark, and I to the area and I'm like. Why was I worried? I can hardly see my feet and sort of like feel my

to the hot tub and slip in and there's like three sixty year old, guys in the hot tub. And, unlike I don't care about you- and I don't think you care about me. so. There is no big deal and I look up in the milky way just like stretched out and clearing in the trees and I'm like. Why would you even look at anything else, but that score? so I sit and hotter bank on the coal plunge I go in the sound. I took a cold shower, just unblest out, I just love it. I fell in love with the experience so much that I want to go back the next day, but I want to go during the daytime goes. I want to spend more time, and when you go to the all women's area, cause I'm naked and its daytime, and so I really can wander around women, so I go through all ritual you know robes slippers and I walk up this finding path to the area and I go through the gate. I walk through. I remember thinking you this image into my brain, so that I can tell straight no friends about it.

because there are like twelve nude and semi nude women and they are like the goddesses of Santa FE. They are long and life and tan and muscular, and they have the kind of body that requires like decades of good genes and millions of dollars- and this is planned, only a good time for me to talk a little bit about my body. By contrast, I'm a corn, admitted western girl, I'm five feet tall and I'm forty one and I've had to choose and there has not been a lot of course correction. Throughout the last decade you now I'm fat and I'm fat not like does beauty, add fat, I'm fat like rules and dimples and things and these women, I'm sure, are like they think back, and that is a myth. But I'm therein. but I'm not easily daunted. So I'm like a robot. I go into the hot tub and I settle into the experience.

and this really beautiful woman comes out she's, fair skinned, red hair She walks out she's, really tentative and really shy, and I look at her and I recognise something because I know it and myself if she hates her body and I'm looking at her, and I have no idea why, because she is beautiful, but I know I'm like there's something she's ashamed of she hates and- and it makes me really sad, so I get up and go into the sound and I lay down on the woods slats and if you ve ever taken a sound a you know, you kind of release, tension by degrees and you can find a feeling coming out your body and with every breath, I just started to think, all other things at my body had done for me. Over the years I had built two beautiful children. In my body I had berthed two children without drugs, one of them Ten point four pounds. Thank you very much ass, my body.

And I had you know: I had eaten all is delicious food with my body. I walked in foreign countries with my body. I had really exceptional. She'll experiences with my body and I got a lot of pleasure- from my body. I had also treated my body not with the most respect, I had really push the envelope and drug and alcohol abuse. I smoke cigarettes. an exercise and in return my body continues to perform with some regularity. Pretty amazing to me and in return For that kindness. I hate my body, I just low that and I love it because the way that I feel on the inside is such a vast difference from the way I Look on the outside and I dont know how to bridge that difference though I sit and with every breath. I just try to release this feeling and I get up and I walk out to the deck area and it's like thirty degrees, its December, so I'm hot and those steam like rising off my body, which is cool and the

this blow and blowing through my pubic care, which is a thing really happens. I might out their naked in the world in nature, and I have this thought it's like. I don't have the body. I am a body and when I Hey my body, I hate all of the things that make me who I am I got Santa FE doesn't have time for that. Jennifer is a mother writer, add and words? Low rent bond be fought. We asked her for a photo from a trip, but she said for obvious reasons: cameras were not allowed when we combat what it was like to show up for work at the World Trade Center. One September eleven

the moth radio hours produced by atlantic public media in Woods, Massachusetts and presented by the public radio Exchange, Pierre Ex DOT, Org oh, do is a suite of business apps, but what does that really mean? on your computer may be in your pj's? Maybe not you have a tab open with a dashboard of applications, one for every department in your company, there's manufacturing, accounting webs tight purchase and more you click on the CRM app and reach out to new opportunities, then you click on the inventory apt to make sure your stock levels are good. Before clicking on the sales apt to send a quote to a customer. How many tabs you have open just one oh, do makes things simple: go to. Oh, do dot com, slash, moth to start a free trial, that's o d, o o dot com, slash moth,.

This is the moth radio, our from pr acts, I'm Jennifer Hickson from them off. The mark community programme sometimes works with nonprofits anew and were very proud of our relationship with the nine eleven tribute centre, where women are next story, teller Celine, Alexander early live at the moment so my mom my mom and I we were very close. We were so close that. We will have dinner together almost every night. Even after me, as someone had to beat me and we talk every day and we had always in our conversation, have something to laugh about and that laugh. get us through today or sometimes through two week. We ve worked for the same company at the World Trade Center.

She worked in engineering on a second seventy second floor, I worked in aviation, so she got to work really early, that seven thirty. Me and the rest of the world. We got to work out about nine, thirty, nine, forty five ten, but on when beautiful day in September. I remember being a loveliest day I had to be were girly. Business I had to be at work early. I said I'm going to surprise my mom and I'm going to show up at her desk with a cup of coffee, light and sweet like she likes it and I'm going to say well, who has beakers hours now. And I say that because I recall that you so always tease me by having bankers. Ours too, like you just, cannot get to work before it

ok you well today. I am so. I make my way to the World Trade Center. I get to the conquerors The stories are- and I look in my just wonderfully- who are all these people up so early? the concourse is full of people in a coffee line is so much longer than I usually have it, but I stand in line. I got the coffee because I am determined to surprise my mom on this day so I make my waited a forty fourth floor, because at the forty four floor you had to change over to the next set of elevators. So we had to the next seller Edel set of elevators. to get to my mouse floor and we see in one of the elevators my work mom Margaret.

and I see that she's talking to our friend Dan who's, the secretary of our company. So if you're talking and laughing what are you talking about. I want I want to know so I try to catch up to them and justice to get to the elevator it closes in my face. They couldn't have seen me cuz. If they did, they would have held the elevator and I would have been laughing to those I'm waiting for the next elevator. All of a sudden building shook violently and it lean to the side and passed back. What was that? is going on around me, glasses, practising a shattering and people urge just moving so fast don't know what's going on, but I hear a voice coming from the stairwell.

let's get out of here. Let's get off this floor, we have to go so we Go into the stairwell and his com is quiet. So much like one about periodical fire, drills, evacuation, drills the only way you can hear in the stairwell our people walking down the stairs, we stood in really know what was going on, average is hoping, the olive were working when we have to come back in so we get down to the concourse and we open a door to the concourse and there's nothing but flashing strobe lie. San alarms going off, then a police.

Officer pushing us out of it out of the office building it added of office building get out quickly. So I step by the office building and there's paper coming from the sky. I step out a little further and I looked back up at the building enters a cloud of smoke. Coming from, one of the floors has a really Bad office fire, I wonder how that happen, and then all of a sudden, I feel myself being pushed again pushed across the street, get away from nobility. So I go to the corner directly across the street from the building. And then they notice. I still have my mouse coffee ice we have a chance to give my mom her coffee as soon She comes out as building.

so waiting and I'm looking at each and every face. Coming out of that building. I didn't see my mom to my co workers come up to me and they say where we have to leave us. Area, Mr Yow alive as soon as my mom comes, and then we can all work together. Weight with me in dulled me for a minute and then they convinced me that I have to leave and so we're walking and then I don't know how it slipped. My mine that I've still holding coffee my hand, has a tight grip on his coffee. Because in my mind I still For my mom, because I need to get rid of coffee and I'm king at every face going by me, I'm looking at every face in every crowd. And I still don't see my mom.

So then a man causing runs bias. They cover the buildings about the fall so We go into a store and as soon as we walk in a store- and I look out the window. almost like a nuclear explosion does thin smoke just like takes over. Pull area. I can no longer see the buildings I can no longer see the people so when it does cleared. I was really concerned. Here's my mom had asthma, really bad at all. the smoke and thus going on. I just wanted to find her.

What myself I phone wasn't working, knowing cell phone was working, so I couldn't collar. So we went to find a pay phone. Every pay. Phone had like ten thousand people online and so fine. I'm gonna sit at this pay phone and wait online with everyone else. So I get a phone call my mouth house this evening and there's her from her no answer. I call my grandmother's house deceive anyone's her from I must say I talk to my aunt, they are so happy to hear from me and I M and they're just kind of like yeah, that's good. but have you talked to my mom? they were like no. We were hoping that she would be with you, so I hang up and I keep walking

This point on walking towards depend stationary out of power train, so I guess it a power station and as they were telling me what were what Going on, as still like, I couldn't believe it that really happen. So I'm on the first train back to New Jersey We come out of the tunnel and it's hard to believe how such Beautiful morning, a beautiful morning produce such a dark night. So I get to my mom's house and I noticed as even darker- and I notice that, because the porch light as a non.

The porch is always on at my mom's house. that is going on. Sir Bell and my dad. since the door tears in his eyes and he gives me the biggest Titus Hug ever He's so glad to see me, I'm so glad to be home and see him, but I need to know Did you see my mom is my mom home. Do you hear from her so he backs up and he says just come inside. My heart went to my stomach, but I followed him inside and I looked in a living room and my mom was there.

And we had each other so tied in Oliver our motion came out and I just realized at that moment. That is really scared at last her and then I also bad as stepped back how'd you get home before me that day, Any areas like the luckiest person in the world, so many people were lost. My those daughters. My work, my Margaret and my friend Dan. They never made it out that elevator, but I missed that. I don't know why I missed the elevator, but I am very happy and very glad that I still get

to talk with my mom every day I still get to go to dinner and I stood there to give her a cup of coffee lightened sweet whenever one Thank you that was only Alexander remain works at the aviation department at the Port Authority of New York, New Jersey through work, she spends a lot of time at the Newark Airport, where they have a nine hundred and eleven memorial. She says every time she sees it her eyes, go immediately to the names of her friends from the elevator Margaret and Dan. She also keeps a photo of the as her screen Saver airlines, mother, who still lives in nearby New Jersey, was in the audience

The night airline told her story, which is significant because it was the first time she stepped back in New York City since the day of the attacks nearly twelve years her mom loved hearing the story but hasn't been back vaccines to see a picture of airline and her mother or to get a linked. The nine eleven Tribute Centre visit the radio exodus page at the moth dot, Org, If any of the story you here today inspire you to share one of your own, please pitch us. The number to call is aids. seven, seven, nine, nine moth, where you can right on our website. Them off Donald were also on Facebook and Twitter. that's it for the moth radio. Our we hope will join us next

Your hosting is our was the most senior producer, Jennifer Hickson, Jennifer also directed the stories in the show, along with Bonnie Levison. The rest. Monster X staff and includes Catherine Burns. Sarah Heymann Sarah Austin Genesse make balls production. Support from Whitney Jones most is true, is remembered and affirm by this story. Tellers mother. And serve recorded by Argos, studio, New York City supervised by poor west. Our theme, music, is by the drift. Other music in this hour from ten, had Trio Dave, Matthews, ready price, and law was music. Final thanks to all the news. If we use at our website the modest

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