East County Numb After Terrorist Attacks
By Corey Lyons
Contra Costa Newspapers
Sept. 14, 2001
ANTIOCH -- An American flag snapped in the breeze Thursday outside Sylvia's Country Kitchen, a local hangout where coffee, eggs and unfiltered opinions are served all day.
But inside, patrons huddled over steaming plates with dazed expressions. American life felt dented beyond repair.
"This act was not just about this country; it was against mankind as well," said Peter Desimone, a 42-year-old construction worker who grew up in New York.
The hushed-tone atmosphere of Sylvia's Country Kitchen is a scene being played out in every living room or tiny cafe across the country.
Two days after the catastrophic attack on the East Coast, folks are numbed by a wide range of emotions: fear, grief and rage.
They may be thousands of miles from the disaster scenes, but customers at Sylvia's are being transformed by the harsh images of bodies being removed from piles of smoking rubble.
Desimone sat at the front counter with a faraway look in his eyes. He sifted through a crinkled newspaper.
"I find myself going through a lot of different emotions each day," he said. "I've been to the World Trade Center. I have friends and their fathers who work in the New York Fire Department.
"It's pretty disturbing," he added, shaking his head, "to think about how many of them may have went down."
He recalled as a teen-ager standing at the base of the 110-story trade towers for the first time. "I was mesmerized by the buildings. They were so serene and pleasant."
Then, Desimone thought of the immense piles of twisted metal and crumbling concrete. "It's such a distorted feeling. All those bodies "
His voice trailed off.
A few seats down, Quincy Hardin, a small business owner in Antioch, carved up a few pieces of French toast.
"Today is the first day that I didn't cry," said Hardin, whose husband, Mitchell, is stranded in Detroit on a business trip.
Hardin said she is trying her best to shield her 6-year-old son from the jarring images that flicker across the TV set. "One week we see fathers killing their children, and the next week it's children killing children, and, now, buildings are blown up," she said. "His young mind can only take so much."
Hardin, however, said the incident made her feel proud to be an American. "No matter what you think about America -- or your fellow man or co-worker -- if there is a better place in the world, we'd be there."
Nearby, Walter Steward, 77, spoke above the clank and clatter of silverware and dishes.
His confidence in America's ability to protect itself against terrorism has been shattered by the attack, he said.
"I think newspapers, TV and radio are doing more investigating than federal and state authorities," Steward said, ignoring a fresh plate of poached eggs.
Debb Albini, a 14-year waitress at the cafe, leaned her elbows on the front counter.
"I've taken this time to verbalize to my customers how much I appreciate their friendship," she said. "I'm so grateful to see them again. They're my livelihood."
A few minutes later, Mary Engleton leaned against a counter and expressed her inner rage about what she considered a cowardly act of terrorism.
"I'm full of rage," said Engleton, a 54-year-old food saleswoman. "These guys wouldn't want to be around me. I was so moved by President Bush's speech this morning. It was full of resolve."
She said the attack would not deter her from a planned flight to Chicago next month.
"No one will disrupt my life," she said, tears welling in her eyes. "No one will tell me that I can't walk on a dark street or get on an airplane. This country is about freedom."
Contra Costa Newspapers
Sept. 14, 2001
ANTIOCH -- An American flag snapped in the breeze Thursday outside Sylvia's Country Kitchen, a local hangout where coffee, eggs and unfiltered opinions are served all day.
But inside, patrons huddled over steaming plates with dazed expressions. American life felt dented beyond repair.
"This act was not just about this country; it was against mankind as well," said Peter Desimone, a 42-year-old construction worker who grew up in New York.
The hushed-tone atmosphere of Sylvia's Country Kitchen is a scene being played out in every living room or tiny cafe across the country.
Two days after the catastrophic attack on the East Coast, folks are numbed by a wide range of emotions: fear, grief and rage.
They may be thousands of miles from the disaster scenes, but customers at Sylvia's are being transformed by the harsh images of bodies being removed from piles of smoking rubble.
Desimone sat at the front counter with a faraway look in his eyes. He sifted through a crinkled newspaper.
"I find myself going through a lot of different emotions each day," he said. "I've been to the World Trade Center. I have friends and their fathers who work in the New York Fire Department.
"It's pretty disturbing," he added, shaking his head, "to think about how many of them may have went down."
He recalled as a teen-ager standing at the base of the 110-story trade towers for the first time. "I was mesmerized by the buildings. They were so serene and pleasant."
Then, Desimone thought of the immense piles of twisted metal and crumbling concrete. "It's such a distorted feeling. All those bodies "
His voice trailed off.
A few seats down, Quincy Hardin, a small business owner in Antioch, carved up a few pieces of French toast.
"Today is the first day that I didn't cry," said Hardin, whose husband, Mitchell, is stranded in Detroit on a business trip.
Hardin said she is trying her best to shield her 6-year-old son from the jarring images that flicker across the TV set. "One week we see fathers killing their children, and the next week it's children killing children, and, now, buildings are blown up," she said. "His young mind can only take so much."
Hardin, however, said the incident made her feel proud to be an American. "No matter what you think about America -- or your fellow man or co-worker -- if there is a better place in the world, we'd be there."
Nearby, Walter Steward, 77, spoke above the clank and clatter of silverware and dishes.
His confidence in America's ability to protect itself against terrorism has been shattered by the attack, he said.
"I think newspapers, TV and radio are doing more investigating than federal and state authorities," Steward said, ignoring a fresh plate of poached eggs.
Debb Albini, a 14-year waitress at the cafe, leaned her elbows on the front counter.
"I've taken this time to verbalize to my customers how much I appreciate their friendship," she said. "I'm so grateful to see them again. They're my livelihood."
A few minutes later, Mary Engleton leaned against a counter and expressed her inner rage about what she considered a cowardly act of terrorism.
"I'm full of rage," said Engleton, a 54-year-old food saleswoman. "These guys wouldn't want to be around me. I was so moved by President Bush's speech this morning. It was full of resolve."
She said the attack would not deter her from a planned flight to Chicago next month.
"No one will disrupt my life," she said, tears welling in her eyes. "No one will tell me that I can't walk on a dark street or get on an airplane. This country is about freedom."
posted by Corey at 11:12 PM
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