The Lift

The Lift

A short story.

Today begins the new work week with another foggy day in the City and thoughts of Tuesday. I believe that Tuesday’s are the new Monday. On Monday, you come to work, but at least you had an opportunity to relax on Sunday; to mentally prepare for work. Tuesday, you’re already into the workweek and the glow from the previous weekend has since been tarnished by the previous day. I say booo to today.

My commute ends with an escalator ride up from the warmth of underground tunnel. As I get closer to street level, I feel the cool, moist air breathe across my face. It’s such a refreshing feeling that seems to wash off the morning commutes grunge and prepare me for another day in paradise, as the cliché goes.

Instead of a colorful fruity drink with an umbrella in it, I settle for coffee. I gravitate towards the left lane because it seems to move a bit faster. Plus, the barista recognizes me and knows my order.

I usually keep my pinky under my cup because even with the sleeve around the scolding coffee, it still tends to slip down through my hands. I’ve been called a ‘dropper’ by those who have seem me play sports. Waiting for the elevator, I switch hands to avoid my skin melting to the recycled paper padding.

I hear the sound of a bell and then the doors shuttle open. My attentions slide up from my shoes to the increasing gap between the doors of the lift. Off to the side, I see a figure slowly being revealed….a pleasing figure…

I notice her slender legs, kept warm by translucent, stripped stockings. Then my glance moves down to her black strappy heels and back up to her tight pleated skirt. She is business casual, but with unique edge to her. Maybe it’s the number of tattoos, mostly hidden, except for the slight indications of ink where her skin is visible or the multiple piercings shinning for attention.

Her formal, white blouses, tight, yet loosely open with her necklace taught around her thin neck. Her lips are dark, reflecting not the sterile fluorescent light of the lift and her eyes blank…staring off to somewhere I cannot see.

As I cross the threshold into the elevator, I catch a mild scent, though it seems nothing like a perfume. Her hair is dyed jet black, past the shoulder…and seems to be flowing with an autonomous motion. I’d imagine what it would look like if she were sitting at the bottom of a calm river, hair shifting slightly with the currents. The lift jerks with my additional weight and compensates for the change. Her eyes come back to focus.

Good Morning…

She doesn’t reply, but her eyes met mine and I saw a slight smile emerge on her lovely face. I don’t dare keep eye contact for long as I spin around and notice that none of the floor buttons have been pressed. I select my floor with a knuckle and back up to the rear of the elevator, parallel with her.

There is nobody else in the elevator as the doors slide shut following another ding of the bell. As the doors complete their task, I notice that there is no draft in the lift; actually, the atmosphere seems quite stagnant, though her hair suggests otherwise.

I’m sorry… good morning to you as well.

Her whisper caught me off guard. I expected no response, as most business professional disregard menial pleasantries before the morning java amps up their spirits to a socially acceptable level.

The lift begins to ascend.

Happy Tuesday! Ya know, I totally think Tuesday is the new Monday…

I followed up with a chuckle, regrettably thinking it’s way too early for my charisma to do anything but annoy. She looked over at me and her eyes stabbed into mine and she reciprocated with a barley audible giggle. It was when there was a silence, her focused eyes seemed to communicate something…

The hair on my arms and neck stood at full attention, as I broke the gaze to see the red numbers displaying the passing floors. She broke the nervous silence.

I hope I’m not late again. I just started last week and I can never seem to get to work on time. I just moved her from my parent’s house in Seattle. I don’t have any friends here, but the job offer was so good I couldn’t say no. I needed some excitement in my life!

I can understand what it’s like to be in a foreign environment, with no support structure, no backup, no friends, no family. Life can become lonely.

The lift decelerated and the familiar red numbers began slowing their count.

I’ll tell you what, join me for lunch today and I will be your first non-coworker friend you meet out here! Trust me, I know what it’s like, I’ve been there, and it can weigh down the heart to have no friends or family around in a foreign place…

The bell signified that the lift doors were about to reveal where I’m about to spend the next eight hours of my life. Damn those doors. Stay shut!

Oh, that would be great! I would love to join you for lunch! I’ll meet you at the fountain around 12:45 this afternoon! Is that good for you?

She spoke with an unexpected vigor; just her smile alone gave me an energy that no amount of caffeine could compete with.

Yes, yes it is! See ya then! Have a great day!

Stepping out of the elevator with a smile that could eclipse the sun, and on my heel, I spun.

I never got your name.

Jenny.

It’s a pleasure to meet you Jenny.

I bowed slightly and tilted my head to reinforce my sarcastic curtsy. The doors started to shut and as they did…the light seemed to gradually dim in the lift... I slowly correct my pose, cocking my head out of curiosity a bit more to the side. Her smiling face seemed to be disappearing into the void.

The doors shut, sealing Jenny in the darkness and they revealed a yellow, horizontal sticker that had be ripped in half. Black words on the left panel read, “Out of” and the right panel, “Order”. It seemed to work just fine on the way up…hmmmm...

To my ergonomically sounds cubical I go, to begin my day in paradise. Windows has finally boot up, after finishing about half of my vente coffee. I’m a few minutes early and click the Firefox launch button. Let’s see what’s going on in the news this lovely morning:

Troops in Afghanistan… yeah yeah…

Naked Man Steals Truck…blah blah…

Raiders Lose… surprise…

Woman Found Dead last night appears to have been missing since Friday, the caption read above the image.

I couldn’t mistake that smile, even from the low resolution digital image that was taken from her security badge. Anybody could tell she was happy to start her new job when she took that photograph.

Authorities have determined that Jennifer Hollister had fallen into an elevator shaft, to her death. It appears that doors had malfunctioned and opened without the lift being in place. Investigator surmise Jennifer was engaged in an email conversation using her Blackberry device and was not aware that she was in danger. The final transmission from the device puts her time of death at 6:34pm last Friday. A rancid odor was reported…

Am I awake?