My September 11th Hero

For those who don’t know I work at a big hotel resort in the Poconos.

I work in housekeeping as a public area attendant. Thursday July 21st, 2016, we had a guest who called front desk because they needed new towels, their old towels taken, and their garbage taken out.

I totally understand how JLO felt in "Maid in Manhattan;" it’s not an easy job at all. The guest in that room called front desk 3 times in two hours just wanting to shower, so he was furious. Someone didn’t do their job to communicate to us and let us know that this guest in room 660 wanted something so simple.

As I enter the room I thought the man with a NY Giants cap was going to have a BF and throw the biggest tantrum, but to my surprise he was chill. I was cleaning the room like speedy Gonzalez hoping he wouldn’t complain at any moment. As I bend over to get the trash he said, “I envy you, I wish I could bend over and pick up trash." I looked super confused and asked him what he was talking about.

He told me that he had to get surgery on his spine and has two long rows with two-inch screws in his spine. He showed me an image, and told me he was in surgery for ten hours. I couldn’t help but have a shocked expression on my face. Then he began to say something that hit me so hard. “All the results of 9/11."

Being a New York baby just the mention of it brings chills to my spine. I asked him, “If you don’t mind me asking how were you involved?” He told me that he was a part of the New York Fire Department, and during one of the collisions of the tower he was in one of the buildings helping people as it collapsed. I could not believe that I was in the presence of a true hero.

One of my heroes since I was young. At that moment I couldn’t help but thank him, and he began to show me his tattoos. A dragon with a stamp of the NYFD on it. He showed me the dragon on his back, and the NYFD on his right forearm, and above that a pink ribbon to represent his wife who won her battle to cancer. This man was amazing, I just wanted to thank the guest in room 660 for sharing his story with me, making me appreciate the little things in life, life is precious and we should enjoy every moment of it, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

My job is so annoying and stressful, but he definitely made my summer, so another thank you to anyone who was involved in any way with 9/11.