Brings Back Memories

I've tried years to lay to rest. North Carolina again has a plant for no apparent reason has exploded leaving at least two confirmed at the moment dead and many other wounded.

According to the news tonight they are saying this plant is noted for many safety violations.

Why does this story bring back nightmares for myself? When I first got my divorce from my first husband, I moved back home to be closer to my parents, raising a baby boy at the time. I landed a very good paying job for a single mother, doing payroll, bill of ladings, inventory control and all other office management duties for a processing plant. It was the day after a long weekend, Labor Day weekend to be exact in 1991.

It was a morning that I had to go inside the plant, since my office was across the street in it's own little building, and do a complete inventory. In all honesty, I had a hang over from hell, I was sick to my stomach from way too much alcohol, sunburned from spending the weekend at the beach, my parents had just gotten back into town with my son the night before late, and I had the headaches of all headaches.

Outside of feeling like hell, I obviously didn't want to be at work, I wanted to spend the day with my little boy, but agreed with my boss whom I was friends with, I'd at least come in and conduct the inventory and inventory report then I was leaving.

A childhood friend of mine came into my office that work inside the plant and asked if I'd relieve her of her duties so that she could help me conduct inventory. I jumped on that chance for help so that my time at work would be over quickly. I picked up my paperwork and walked across the street to being what I knew was only going to send my headache into scream mode from all the equipment to begin my job. I told my childhood friend to go on into the plant and begin the inventory process for me as I was going to stop inside the owners office and dig up some advil for my head.

I walked in his office, he informed me to go back across the street to get my advil and I had a call on line one I HAD to take since the main office lost a month's worth of inventory reports and were in the middle of the audit.

Cussing the whole way I walked out of his office across the street ~ found my advil took it ~ picked up line one and heard I need this YESTERDAY and the list began and then suddenly the line went dead. I heard screaming, saw people running in front of my window, I'm standing there thinking WTF?

Then I see my boss jumping out of his office window screaming OMG CALL 911 the plant is about to blow!!!!

That is why watching this comenitary of this plant in North Carolina, two hours away from where the plant I worked exploded, the photo's, the horror and then the knowledge of not following safety regulations, it could have all been provented, is a nightmare that is hard for me to forget.

In the explosion and fire I was involved in I lost 10 life long friends *including the one who asked to help me do the inventory*, 15 single mothers, and 4 mother and father lose their lives. I remember my daddy running full speed down the road blocks when seeing me at the age of 60 after a heart acke, I remember seeing my mama skidding to a breaking hault after hearing it on the news at school. The things you remember are ironic ~ I also remember being the one having to tell the grandparents of the couples they were gone and return what belongs were saved.

Sorry I'm rambling.....just affected........