When my Sicilian father first heard me say it he got a concerned look on his face and quickly asked, “What do you mean you met with an agent? What kind of agent? I could tell he was worried I might have met with an FBI agent.
She didn’t know his name yet, but she could tell he was cocky and he was a bad boy, and to her, perfect. She was instantly in love.
Ernie saw the mischievous grin on my face and knew exactly what I was about to do.
He whispered in my ear, “Don’t you dare do it, Susan!”
I loved Cleveland, but I needed a reprieve from all the drama that surrounded me there, some of which I took part in creating myself…
I remember hearing the voice of a man… “You are going to make it baby! Wake up!” I wanted to open my eyes but at first I couldn’t. I felt hard gravel underneath me, cool rain on my face, and some of the most excruciating pain I had ever felt in my life… I could also hear a woman praying the rosary over me in Spanish.
The men that were sitting with me while I waited had guns. I could make out a little bit of what they were saying. I knew that they didn’t believe I was American… I was scared.
I remember being a little more nervous than I had been on the earlier shoot. I had heard so much about how important this lead cameraman was and that I had to impress him….I will never forget what happened next.
When I was done I looked at my friend and said, “You know, I have never asked you, where were you that day?” He sunk down in his chair. His head dropped and he looked somber. This strong, athletic, masculine man was taken over by internal emotion in a way I had never seen before. I quickly figured out why. “Oh my God. You were in the towers, weren’t you?”
As he walked into the room and saw me sitting there he got a big smile on his face. He immediately came over and sat down across from me. “You’re back.” he said with a very enthusiastic tone. I shook my head yes. He looked thrilled about it. I couldn’t believe what was happening. My heart was racing.
I wondered if it was a hoax. Then I started crying. I couldn’t believe that the 60 year old mystery might finally be solved.