Lessons learned on an Elevator

I wouldn't normally be working on a Sunday afternoon, but that  Sunday wasn't a normal day.  It was the hottest day on record, with the temperature measuring over 105° at 6:00 a.m. 

I am a writer for a popular magazine enterprise and meeting last minute deadlines were pretty common, so I was not surprised to receive an urgent call from my editor to meet him at our office on Broadway in Manhattan.

I quickly threw on a pair of denim mini shorts, yellow tank top and my most comfortable pair of slip on sneakers.  I walked into then living room where my husband and kids were focused on a video game.

"mhm.,.sorry to interrupt your little competition, but I have to go into the office."

"No problem", replied my husband. 

"If you get hungry just order a pizza because I'm not sure how long I'll be."

"Okay, see you later,"

An hour later, I was standing in one of the most beautiful architecturally designed building in New York City. It was thought to be even more exotic than the Trump building.  The lobby was well lit, with shiny white floors, a water fountain depicting a Japanese garden, and marble like walls.

I looked over to see Carl the security guard, sitting at his oak desk, absorbed with reading a copy of the current days newspaper.

When he heard me entering the building, he looked up, gave me a quick nod and motioned me over to his desk.  Although the lobby temperature was cool, I couldn't help but notice Carl's face and neck damp with sweat.

"What are you doing here on this sweltering day?"  "You should be at home, or in a cold swimming pool."

"I'm supposed to be meeting Andrew here for a deadline we're working on.  Has he gotten here yet?"

"No, your the only one here right now."

"Well let him know I'm here when he does make it here",

I proceeded to make my way to the elevator banks on the other side of the building.  

The elevator banks were different in this building, definitely not like any others.  The elevators had no open or close buttons by the doors.  Instead, there was an elevator number at the top of each door and a separate panel of numbers (labled from "2" through "21"). If you wanted to go to a floor, you would choose the floor number on the panel and when the elevator reached the lobby floor, a voice would announce the elevator number that would open and take you directly to the floor you requested. 

It took quite a while to get used to at first.  The general idea was to ensure that your ride would be a one-stop trip.  It was also designed to prevent overcrowding.

I walked over to the panel and pressed 15. After a short wait, a female voice announced elevator number five would take me to my desired floor.

Before i stepped on the elevator I looked at my watch to see whar time it was. It was 2:02 when I got on that elevator.

The elevator door closed and the female voice announced "fifteenth floor, next stop. Estimated time to floor is one minute and 30 seconds, Enjoy your ride."

As the elevator door closed and moved upward I could hear the whir of the elevator inch its way up. I was lost in thought, when I suddenly realized that the elevator was no longer moving, The bright light in the elevator had become dimmed,

I looked around the elevator to see if there was any emergency button to let a rider communicate a problem in the elevator, bur to my horror I realized that no such button existed.

 I was in a panic. I was alone and felt myself become claustrophobic.  My heart was speeding at over one hundred bears a minute and even though I had put on my lightest clothes on to keep from being overheated I could feel myself breaking into a sweat.  I had this fear that when the doors opened I would be found too late to be saved.

Oh, the horror of it all...why did they have to design the elevators this way?  Didn't they even consider such emergencies occurring...well I suppose not.

I looked at my.watch again.  It was now 2:08.  I had been stopped for six minutes and nobody knew I was here.

"Help...help...I yelled to the walls of the elevator."

Of course nobody heard me; not even Carl at the security desk would be able to hear me.

2:10 p,m.

The female voice came to life suddenly announcing a new message.

"I am sorry,  but please be advised that a power surge in the building has disrupted your one-stop ride to the fifteenth floor.  Please await further instructions.  Thank you."

"Hello...can you hear me?" "Are you still there"?

The voice answered…"yes I am, in a robotic like way".  How can I help you?"

"What am I supposed to do until then?"

"You could sit down. You will notice that the floor is fully carpeted and is quite comfortable."

I rolled my eyes, but sat down on the elevator floor, and it was quite comfortable as the voice said it would be.  I sat there for a while thinking about all the changes I would make in my life, if I ever got out of here alive,  The one thing I promised myself was that i needed to stop working such long hours, andspendd more time with my family.

2:20 p.m.

"Please be advised that the engineers are currently working to restore power to the building within the next hour. They will be able to route some air through a vent in the ceiling above you. Please stay tuned for further announcements.  Thank you."

A few minutes later I began to feel the air circulating above me.  As promised the engineers had begun pumping air through the elevator vent.

The voice came back on, asking is she could help me with anything else.

"Aren't Ithere any generators in this building to prevent the elevators from failing."

"I do not have an answer for that question." "I am not human.  I am a computer who is programmed to answer simple questions."

"Well why can't I speak to someone who is human?"

"There is no one else here with us."

Great, I thought to mysel. I am sitting here on an elevator floor, on the hottest day of the year, talking to a computer.  My friends would never believe me.  Even my worst enemy wouldn't believe me.

"Would you like to listen to some jokes I have stored in my computer memory?"

"I don't think so...I am not exactly in a joking mood".

"How about some music?"  

"Well maybe.  I like classical music."

And as if the computer were reading my mind, the computer began playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

2:30 p,m.

May I have your attention please, the engineers have estimated that the generators will be powered on within the next half hour.  Thank you for your patience with building management. 

Even though the music had done a little to convince myself that I was going to escape this nightmare alive, I found myself powerless to deal with something I could not control.  All of my life I felt in control.  I could go wherever I wanted, eat what I wanted, even worked at a job I wanted,  Was I so shallow, and self-absorbed that I never considered other things to be concerned with.  Sadly not.

3:00 p.m

May I have you attention please, our engineers have been able to start the generators and you will be arriving on your requested destination shortly.  Thank you again for your patience.

Suddenly the lights on the elevator brightened, the whirring noise became discernible and the elevator doors opened on the fifteenth floor.

The voice announced that I had arrived and thanked and bid me a good day.

That was the last day I ever entered an elevator again for a long time after.  I resigned from my writing job and spent the rest of my career writing books and articles for magazines from my own home.  It often takes a major event to change our lives and being stuck in an elevator for an hour was what changed it for me,  

What will change it for you?