Book excerpts
Chapter 1: (written by Michelle Rosado)
“No. I need to get in touch with my mom and my brother and I....”
I stared at my phone. Weird. It had suddenly lost its connection. Then, from another nightmare out of hell, a second airplane roared into sight overhead. Horror and disbelief filled me as I watched it smash into Tower Two. The tower burst into flames and the street erupted into full-scale pandemonium. People turned into maniacs and thrashed through the streets in mass hysteria. I was thrown into a steel barricade, and as Andrew helped me up, a scene that is still embedded in my mind began to unfold. As flames shot from Tower Two, it began to rain. Shattered glass, burning steel, cement, fiberglass, pulverized sheetrock, useless papers, office equipment and…people…fellow humans leaping to their deaths, taking the only action they could think of in order to escape. These were not strangers, but friends and coworkers, young and old. One by one, they came. My body, mind, and soul shut down. I was dead but alive, seeing but blinded.
My voice sounded as if it came from outside of me when I asked Andrew, “Where do we go?”
He glanced toward the water. “South Street Seaport. It’s the only place that’s safe for now.”
Chapter 16: (written by Randy Rosado)
Before I could explain anything else, the female officer informed me that they would need to enter my residence. Feeling uneasy about that, I stated, “I want a warrant first if you want to come into my home.” The female officer explained, “We don’t need a warrant. We have the authority to go in now.” Taken back by this explanation, I looked at the male officer as if to ask whether that was true; he replied, “She is right.”
Starting to feel bullied, I asked whether I could call Michelle to let her know they were going to have to come in. For a second, I glanced at the text messages on my phone. Then the female officer grabbed my wrist and said, “Oh no. You won’t be sending text messages.” I nervously called Michelle to let her know the police were coming in and to take the dog into the spare bedroom. When we arrived at the condo, I popped my head in the door to see whether Michelle was ready for us and the dog was in the other room. The male cop then told me, “We’re going in with you. Don’t think you’re gonna go in there for one second without us.” The officers proceeded enter our residence unlawfully.
