FUNDACIÓN VÍCTIMAS DEL TERRORISMO 95 - ENGLISH

75 TESTIMONY MORE THAN 20 YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE THE MARCH 11 ATTACKS. HOW DO YOU REMEMBER THAT DAY? I remember it as a very complicated day. I was in my second year of Bachillerato, and it was an especially demanding year. That morning I had decided to stay home studying and go to class later. That was when my mother and I began to hear news of the attacks. From the very beginning we were worried because we knew my father took one of those trains every morning to go to work. Even so, for many hours we wanted to believe that nothing had happened to him. He knew first aid, and we thought perhaps he was helping other people. Also, at that time mobile phones were not as ever-present as they are now, and it was easier to imagine that he simply could not call. We clung to that idea for a long time. WHEN DID YOU BEGIN TO FEAR THAT SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED TO HIM? The alarm bells went off very early. I remember my grandfather calling home at a time when he never called. He was an early riser and asked where my father was. At that moment we did not understand why he was asking that question. Shortly afterward, my mother called his workplace and was told he had not arrived. That was when we rea- lly began to worry. For hours we kept thinking he might be injured in a hospital. We searched for information and went from one hospital to another. I especially remember when we arrived at Gregorio Maranon Hospital. We wanted to believe that he would appear at any moment, but we did not find him. Then they told us to go to IFEMA. It was there that we were told he had died. WHAT MEMORIES DO YOU HAVE OF THOSE DAYS? There are many gaps. Some things I remember perfect- ly and others have di- sappeared completely. I suppose that is a way of protecting yourself. Du- ring those days we operated somewhat on inertia. We did not want to think too much because doing so meant facing a reality that was unbea- rable. I remember my father's coworkers helping us, accompanying us, and trying to obtain information. Everything happe- ned very quickly and, at the same time, it seemed as if time had stopped. WHEN YOU THINK OF YOUR FA- THER BEYOND HIS STATUS AS A VICTIM OF TERRORISM, HOW DO YOU REMEMBER HIM? I remember him as a very responsi- ble person, very family-oriented, and attentive to others. He was always concerned about my mother and me, about his parents, and about the rest of the family. He was demanding and strict about some things, but also very affectionate. Over the years, I have often found myself ima- gining what our life would have been like if he were still here. I am now close to the age my father was when he died, and that makes me think a lot about everything that was taken from him and everything we lost. WHAT WAS HE LIKE IN DAILY LIFE? He was a person with many interests. He was always willing to learn some- thing new. He studied English, was very interested in computers — at a time when they were not yet as common as today — and enjoyed watching nature documentaries. He also loved soccer and was a great Real Madrid fan. I clearly re- member those match afternoons at my uncle's bar, where we gathered to watch the games. HIS WORK WAS ALSO AN IMPORTANT PART OF HIS LIFE... Yes. He worked in horse breeding wi- thin the Army, a job he was passiona- te about. He participated in programs related to the preservation and impro- vement of certain horse breeds and de- voted much of his time to that work. It was highly specialized work, which he carried out with great dedication. He also always tried to bring his postings closer to the family so he could spend more time with us and avoid having to live apart. “For many hours, we wanted to believe that nothing had happened to him. We thought that perhaps he was helping other people, and we clung to that idea for a long time”