The day seemed perfect. The old maple tree out back had begun to shed leaves. Fall had never looked so beautiful. Our white fence bordering our front yard stood out in the autumn colors. Outside it smelled fresh and crisp in the morning air. I woke up early, ready for another day of 3rd grade. As soon as I ran out the door, my bus screeched to a halt in front of my house. My friends and I talked all the way to school, about this and that. I walked into the school, passed many classrooms, and then I reached my room. Stepping in through the doorway, I saw it. I saw what was happening on the television screen. My mother had told me that Daddy was coming home late tonight. That tomorrow night we would all go out to eat and celebrate his promotion. That wasn’t going to happen now. Time moved too slowly. My teacher had tears in her eyes. Her right hand covered her mouth in disbelief. I gripped doorframe for more support. I whispered out my fathers name and trembled to my knees, crying out with everything I had. The planes had submerged themselves into my Daddy’s building to fast. All I could see was the airplane pushing right through where my Dad pointed to, saying that now he was working higher up in the building. Now I could only wish that he had said that he worked the old job, on the 2nd floor. I found that in this split second, I couldn’t breath. I grabbed my shirt and pulled, trying to find my breath. My teacher quickly wiped her eyes and came over to me. I couldn’t think strait. My Daddy, one that I told everything to, left me in the blink of my eye. I wasn’t dumb enough to believe that anyone in that building could have survived. Not from what I saw. I hugged my teacher close to me, telling her in exasperated cries that my father died in that plane crash. That he walked to work every morning and always came home at night, telling me about his unconditional love for me. As I continued to cry, my teacher walked me slowly down to the office, She stayed there with me all morning, until I wanted to call my Mom and go home. Mom met me at the door, enclosing me in the circle of her arms and hugging me closer than ever, for a long time. She whispered into my ear that she loved me. That Daddy loved me and that nothing in this world would have changed that. She told me that life would never be the same, that America would never be the same, but that she was here for me and she loved me unconditionally.