Fw: Before And After A Late Summer's Night

["Tim Sheridan" <tds6599@domain.elided>]

Sept 22, 2001 --   (WILMINGTON, NC)

September Eve and Morn'
by Tim Sheridan

----

As you all know I'm on the FAR side of a Hawk....

I want the hammer to fall to be so profane and obtuse that the Twin Towers
collapse will seem so much a "cave-in" at the local construction site or an
Amtrak derailment in a Louisiana bayou.  Take your "Peace Rally" and shove it.

It is time to exterminate evil.  There is no changing my position on this.
Evil must be extinguished and forgotten for dead.

The forces that struck our country are not worthy of a war tribunal at The
Hague.  They are not deserving of due process.  There will be no discovery or
pleadings or arraignments.  Writs of habeus corpus just died.  Welcome to the
new face of American Justice whose countenance displays utter destruction that
will trump the definition of "fierce".

The islands of evil need to be wiped off the face of the earth with such
magnitude that it will make the Crusades seem like a disagreement.  The
scorched-earth policy is just shy of understatement in this regard.

I shed no tears for the "innocents" over there.  They will be gone and not
missed.

If I were of age to serve my nation I would have been at the United States
Marine Recruitment Office on September 11th.  One must be 35 or younger to
serve.  I turned 36 the day before.

- - - -

The clock struck midnite and welcomed September 11th, 2001 to the world.  At
that moment Sister Cathy and Niece Linda and Miss Zodie and I stepped upon
Wrightsville Beach -- the edge of America.  Under the stars on a moonless
night.  We were so happy that Wilmington offered both a Colonial Old Town Port
and a beach in the same little town, 8 miles separating the two.

We weren't tired, just Blessed.  It was one of those nights you Thanked God
you were born in America.

We had just dined at one of the finest restaurants in Wilmington -- The Pilot
House on the Cape Fear River in Old Town Wilmy.  We sat outside on the covered
porch, the river shining and lapping ten feet from our candlelit table.  What
a meal, what great food; the stuff you can't make at home.  Appetizers, wine,
incredible food, great conversation, laughing, loving, exceptional service....
of course in the usual Sheridan tradition all courses were shared.  We laughed
and smoked and drank and ate.  The desserts were just this side of Heaven.
All to celebrate my 36th birthday.

We then drove to the beach and walked for an hour plus.  The moon made its
appearence as it was rising far beyond and behind Johnnie Mercer's Pier.  The
crescent moon was upside down (imagine the letter C on its back), a bright
brown.  None of had ever seen an upside down moon before. We walked and walked
with shoes off, ocean water lapping, chasing and wetting.

The moon rose higher and became a soft yellow, its reflection on the ocean
through the pier pilings shining the Hand Of God.  None of wanted to leave.
Why did we?

We piled into the Grand Vitara, sand everywhere (who cares?).  We went back to
Cathy's to open my presents, the day now being September 11th.  We had cake
and more laughs.  It's good to be "home" after going out.

Miss Zodie and I said our goodbyes to Sis Cath and Linda Beth and drove back
to my pad in the Alfa, top-down.

A perfect night.

The next morning my future bride and I saw live on TV the second tower going
down.

- - - -

We have all lost special people at one time or another.  We have all seen bad
shit occur.  Oftentimes we've cared about nothing, not even ourselves.  But
none of us can claim being on a jet plane as it throttled into a building, a
mad-man at the wheel, the fuel flames being our last memory prior to Heaven,
our 2 year old daughter in Our Arms.  None of Us.

None of us knew; but we do now.

Get Ready.

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