The Power Outage

Have you ever noticed the reaction of strangers getting on an elevator?  They look up (or down) to ensure that they have successfully avoided having the doors shut closed before they are safely inside.  Next they press the button by the floor number they wish to get off, and then glance at all the other buttons on the wall, the open door/close door button (which symbol opens or closes the door) and they usually notice whether the elevator has a thirteenth floor.  Finally, they will stand closest to the back of the elevator to ensure that there is room enough for the next passenger.  

There is one thing for certain...they pay no attention to any other riders with them.

That was the norm when I entered the elevator on the ground floor of the Galaxy building on July 1, 2020.  It was the hottest day of the year...a day that broke the record seventy five years before.  Newscasters were urging folks to conserve their water and power or else a power outage would cripple the city.  PPG apologized in advance for not being ready to handle the surge that was bound to happen with the temperature so high.

I had scheduled an interview with Star Land Talent Agency a short week ago.  At the time, I thought that this was just a baby step into the world of acting. The company was situated on the fifteenth floor and I estimated that it would take no more than five minutes to reach my floor (calculated that there would be at least a few others getting on and off the elevator (one minute to get on or off).

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Donald Adams was the next passenger to get on the elevator.  His white shorts and blue cotton shirt showed a man of 30 quite stylish for his age, but his face was worn with pain.  

Donald had awoken that morning with a throbbing toothache.  He could usually tolerate any pain, but tooth pain was not something he took well.  He had his wife call and make him a dental appointment with Dr. Greenberg, noted to be the best dentist in the city.  His office was located in the Galaxy building.

The dentist was located on the 10th floor.  He got on and pressed the button for the floor.  Then he stepped to the right of me and closed his eyes for a moment,

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Lauren Harper and John Fairgood were colleagues at Lincoln Law and were on their way back from a real estate closing.  Their meeting had been quite successful and the two of them were smiling as they entered the elevator.  They were smiling and laughing as they got on the elevator.  No words passed between their lips, but their success could be read in their animated movements.  They had noticed that anyone else was on the elevator with them until Lauren pressed the elevator button that would take them to the sixteenth floor.

“Oh, I am sorry”, she said, as she inadvertently kicked the back of my ankle with a brown briefcase she wore strapped across her curvy yellow dress.  I looked at her dress and suddenly had a craving for lemonade.

She then stepped back to stand near John.

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“Hold the door!”  I need to get this elevator.  I’m late!  

Since I was closest to the elevator doors I reached out to push “the open door button” --- which one was I pressing...was I indeed pressing the open door button”.

Fortunately, for Ivan Schwartz sake, he made it on the elevator in time.  Ivan had an appointment with his Accountant on the seventeenth floor,  He had just opened his mail on Friday to find a letter from the IRS indicating that he was going to be audited.

When he called the accountant in a huff,

“Calm down, just come in on Monday and will will work on your taxes then.  In the meantime have a good weekend.

His breath finally slowed down to a normal beat, but the perspiration on his neck and face remained.  Ivan took a place in the corner of the elevator cage and his hands closed around the railing in a tight grip.

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The doors closed and we were on our way up to our requested floors.  Third, fourth, fifth…..Suddenly the elevator stopped dead, somewhere between the fifth and sixth floor.

Don, the passenger with the toothache moaned loudly.

“I can’t believe this, my tooth is killing me, I am hot as hell, and I have to be stuck in an elevator with all of you people!”

“We shouldn’t be here too long.  Even if the power went off, like they said might happen, how long could we possibly be stuck?  Besides I think this building is connected to a generator and we should be fine”.  At least the elevator lights should come on and the air will come back on.  I recommend that we keep a clear head and breath normally.

But the lights did not come on, and the elevator became warmer.  It felt like every breath was harder to take than the next.  I noticed that we all had the same fears...we could actually be stuck here for hours.  

I am a very positive person and introduced myself to the others on the elevator.  

“We might as well get to know each other”, I said.  

At first the other passengers on the elevator with me gave me a strange look; at the sheer audacity of even suggesting that we even talk to each other.

Don was the first to respond.

“I hope you don’t think I am rude, but right now in too much pain to even speak.  I need to get this rotten tooth of mine taken care of.   The worst part of it all is I am afraid of going to the dentist.  I have recurring nightmares of dying in a dental chair.  Now I am afraid of dying on an elevator.”

“Oh” said Lauren.  Don’t worry, I have the same fear, but are you by any chance going to see Dr. Greenberg?  I noticed that you pressed his floor number when you got on the elevator before.  He is really kind and has a very light touch.  I call him doctor painless, and he even has a teddy bear that you can hold while you’re in the chair”.

Everyone laughed when they heard that and started to share their own stories and experience with dentists.  

“Yes Don replied.  That is actually who I am going to see.  Hearing all these stories from strangers seemed to help Don feel a little bit better.’

Now that we had broken the ice with Don and Lauren, we began to feel even more comfortable and introduced themselves.

Ivan was the next to speak up.

“If you think you have troubles, you can’t imagine who frightening it is to be audited by the IRS.  I have fears of being thrown in jail for filing improper tax returns.  It’s not that I am trying to hide anything, but the IRS is so powerful and can destroy you’re reputation.

“What kind of business are you in?” asked John Fairgood.

“Importing and exporting antiques”, responded Ivan.

“I actually know a great accountant who deals in your type of business and suggest you speak with him.  John opened up his briefcase, rifled through his papers and handed Ivan a black and white business card with a name on it. You should reach out to him.  I’ll put in a good word for you if you’d like.

“Thanks” responded Ivan as he wiped the perspiration from his neck.  The elevator was getting warmer and warmer the longer they were standing there.

Before anyone realized it, four long hours had passed.  New aquaintances had been made, and the people inside elevator number 4 in the Galaxy building had survived a power outage.

What will you do the next time you are stuck in an elevator when the power goes out?