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“How do you think you've changed?”
Keith Meerholz and his wife, Grete, talk about his escape from the World Trade Center's North Tower on September 11, 2001.
Recorded in New York, NY
Credits
Produced by Piya Kochhar.
Facilitated by Piya Kochhar.
Recorded in partnership with National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
Transcript
Click here to read the transcript for this story.
Interview transcript
Grete Meerholz (GM): Someone came in and--into the room, and said um, that the tower had fallen. And um, and I thought that was it. I kinda gave up hope.
Keith Meerholz (KM): Fortunately I didn't wait too long to call her.
GM: Shortly after, you called, and I picked up the phone and you just said, 'Grete, I'm alive!' And I started screaming so that everybody in the house would know.
KM: I don't even remember what I said, to be honest.
GM: I do. You said, 'I made it out, and I have some burns, but I'm--I'm gonna get away.' And I just remember screaming, 'Just get away, get away, get away.' I knew you'd make it.
KM: How do you think you've changed?
GM: How do I think I've changed?
KM: Yeah.
GM: I guess I'm not really sure. I do know that every time I--I get mad at you or I'm--we have an argument, I can think back to September 11th and I can kind of forgive you for anything. Um, and I love you because you make me laugh, even though I always say I'm funnier.
KM: No way, I'm definitely funnier.
GM: You make me laugh. And um, you're my best friend.
KM: Yeah.
GM: And it's nice to have a best friend to go through life with.