Between 2000 and 2001, I worked at 7 World Trade Center for Salomon Brothers. Three to five times a week, I would take the elevator to the 37th Floor, put on a tux, and serve fresh fruit and coffee to VPs in lavish conference rooms. The job didn't pay well [no tips], but it was a nice supplement for a young writer/actor who was cutting it close every week.
There was a group of us tux-wearing waiters. Mostly middle-aged European and Latino immigrants and a few struggling artists. When we weren't delivering silver trays of coffee, we were convened near the pantry, overlooking the Hudson River, and discussing cultural tradition, politics and the delicious craziness of New York City. I wasn't there when 7 World Trade Center collapsed, but a few of my former co-workers were killed. So today I simply want to remember and celebrate the lives of my co-workers and the brief time I spent in 7 World Trade Center.
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Keith Josef Adkins is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and social commentator.