Then He Appeared

As I approached the tall office building I suddenly felt unnervingly overwhelmed. The only job I had ever worked was at a small local diner, which got me through my awkward high school years and my slightly less awkward college years. The diner was friendly and familiar, which was drastically disparate to intimidating building I was approaching. The interview I endured to acquire this secretary position took place in a coffee shop, ironically right next door the diner that I had just quit 3 days before the interview. That being said, I was unaware of the massiveness of the building I would be working with. I did not think I could ever be more nervous than I was for my interview, but as I neared the entrance, I was.

Just as this realization crossed my mind, I felt drops of a hot liquid splatter onto my pantyhose clad feet. My hands were anxiously shaking, causing my coffee to spill over and stain my brand new pants. Working in a diner for so many years, I did not own any professional clothing, meaning the stain was rather devastating. I shook it off and tried to think of a less embarrassing explanation for the stain as I opened the door to the my new place of employment. I was still a half an hour early, so I knew I would have time to search for my desk. When I received the call informing me that I had gotten the job, my boss told me that I would be on the 12th floor right next to the coffee machine, and that he was confident I wouldn't miss it. If only he knew of my absentmindedness, he would not be so confident in that assumption. The unclear knowledge of where my desk was furthered my anxiety, the only saving grace being that I was early, which allowed some time for inevitable error.

As I was calming down, I noticed I was receiving some odd stares from workers getting ready for their day. I wondered to myself whether these stares were because I was new and unrecognizable, or because of the dreaded coffee stain that was now set into my clothing. I hoped it was the first thought. I decided that just in case it was the latter, I would find the restroom and try to eliminate the stain. I followed the signs to the restroom, where I quickly entered the ladies room. After a few minutes of a scrubbing and drying process, I got the stain to be faint enough to go unnoticed by others.

I left the bathroom and started towards the elevator, as I knew 12 floors of stairs would be an awful way to start a Monday morning. I pressed the button with the arrow pointing up on the elevator and nervously waited for the doors to open. As I waited, I responded to a text from my mother that wished me good luck. Her excitement from hearing that I got the job quickly faded when she remembered I had no experience in this field, and that I was notorious for messing things up before they began. While these were valid feelings on her part, it made me even more nervous. I was determined to prove to myself, and my mother, that I could do this.

The elevator doors opened and I stepped in alone, as I was early and most people would be arriving for another 15 minutes. As the elevator started moving, I checked my phone for the time to confirm that I was still early. The lights suddenly flickered off, my phone being the only source of light in the small elevator. My heart beat quickened and I began feeling panicked. After what seemed like five minutes, but was really only a couple seconds, the lights flickered back on, and I took a deep breath in relief. The relief quickly faded when I realized the elevator still wasn't moving. I tried to think calmly of a solution. Should I press the emergency button, or would the elevator start moving again at any second? I did not want to press a noisy alarm button if it was unnecessary, as it was so early. That was not the first impression that I intended to have.

I decided to call the receptionist of the office building, as I noticed she was already there when I arrived. The phone did not even ring before it went to the automated voice message, meaning the phones must have still been down. I sighed in defeat, knowing I would have to press the noisy alarm. I pressed the button, but no noise sounded from it. I then started to panic again when I realized that nobody had any way of knowing I was stuck in there. I knew people would be arriving soon, and realize the elevator was not working, but that left me with almost 15 minutes of being stuck in there. I did not know until now that I had, what seemed to be severe, claustrophobia.

My chest felt so tight, which combined with my shallow breathing, leaving me in a pitiful mess of hysterics. I was trying to take deep breaths, but the effort was useless. The sound of my phone ringing made me jump, it was my boss. I whispered a bleak "Hello," as it was all I could muster in the midst of my claustrophobia episode. He hastily responded, concern filling her voice, "Monica, the receptionist saw you get in the elevator and contacted me on my personal phone I warned her you would be coming today in case you had any questions. Are you okay? The power went out which stopped the elevators." His words spilled out so quickly, I barely had time to comprehend what he was saying before he was finished. "Um, I am freaking out a little bit, but I am still eager to start my day!" I tried to sound as cheerful and grateful as I could, given the circumstances. He laughed and told me that maintenance was on the way to get me out, and to be patient, then hung up.

I waited for about 20 minutes, when I started hearing some banging from below me. According to a movie I had seen, the elevator mechanics were in the basement, below the elevator, so this was a good sign. I tried calling to them, but got no response. I was calmed down, as I knew I would be out soon. I started thinking about what an embarrassing first day this would be, and how I would be able to concentrate on learning what the new job entailed after such a stressful and slightly traumatic morning. Just as I was thinking this the elevator shifted a bit, and starting moving normally. I was so relieved and grateful that the experience was coming to an end. As the elevator doors open, I was thinking about how the day could not get any worse. I lifted my head to exit the elevator and stopped when I saw him. I prayed to be back on the elevator, trapped.