I’m still seeing George’s face in the kindergarten in my mind. Just imagine for a moment – that includes shoving away all your sentiments and reservations about the man himself and his politics – what you might have done in his position, in this situation. You clearly see his mind working: Should I stay or should I go? Should I tell these children why I need to leave? And what do the people who were those children at this very moment think about this situation today?

Should I stay or should I go?

One snap. One decision. It happens every day, every minute, every second. Someone decides something. The higher your position, the more important the consequences are.

        One snap.

Someone bought a sack of rice, so his family is able to get diner again.

        One snap.

Someone flies an airplane into the World Trade Center of New York.

        One snap.

Someone is sitting on a chair that’s too small for him. He knows about the airplane. He’s seeing the children reading from a book. It’s a perfect little world in a nutshell. Peaceful. The future right in front of him. Another future far away.

From time to time I think about this scene: George W. Bush sitting in that chair. The Chief of Staff whispering the news into his right ear. And his face freezes for a moment. He doesn’t speak any words; but his face is a novel.

This is the image I’ve got from Nine/Eleven. Strangely, I don’t really see the two towers in a cloud of smoke. I see George’s face and I see the end of yesterday and the beginning of tomorrow.

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        © Dominik Alexander / 2023
        © Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images (image)