Under The Mistletoe

A Different Side

With a folder tucked under my arm and a handbag weighing down my shoulder, I race through the lobby of my office building as the elevator doors close. I fling a foot between the sensors but miss them by an inch. The doors hit my ankle, then begin to open, but I slide in before they completely do and press the Three button.

I'm a bit desperate because I cannot afford to be late today of all days. It's the last Monday before the holidays for my department, and I'm heading our team meeting and end-of-year project. I know that if I arrive late, someone else might be given the project.

I tap my foot and watch the elevator doors crawl open, then start their journey to close. I glance at my wristwatch and I have three minutes to go before the meeting starts. I'm tempted to manually force the doors shut, but I resist. I count each second until they reach their destination.

Just as I'm about to sigh in relief, the elevator beeps and the doors rattle open again. I'm furious at this point, and once I see who stands before me, I curse under my breath. It's my attractive colleague, John, but if there's one person I cannot stand in the world, it's him. He's a typical know-it-all who makes everyone feel like an idiot, and I've never heard him say anything nice to anyone.

He hesitates as if considering to either enter or wait for the elevator to return. I make the decision for him when I press the Three button repeatedly. He's heading to the same meeting, but he can afford to be late because he's not presenting. I also learnt that he had outrightly asked to get the project, so I'm pretty sure he would delay me if possible.

He jumps in when the doors start to close again, then throws me a "Hi." I barely look at him when I reciprocate, and we don't say any other thing to each other. I raise my eyes to the digital display as the numbers climb from One, to Two, and to Three but the elevator doesn't stop. I glance at my wristwatch and it's a minute to eight. I press the Three button repeatedly, but the elevator continues. It gets slower after we pass level four, then it comes to an abrupt stop. The digital display has a dash, nothing more.

I panic instantly and look at my wristwatch again. It's eight on the dot. I'm as worried about being late as I am about being trapped with someone I don't like one bit. John approaches the controls and presses the Three button, and when that doesn't respond, he presses the Open and Close buttons respectively several times, but the only response we get is darkness; the power goes off.

My panic escalates. I drop my folder, then fish for my phone in my handbag to call for help, but there's no service. I power the torch and start banging on the door of the elevator for help. John tells me to calm down, but I don't listen to him. He might know it all, but not now. I stretch my hand and press the Call button and there's no tone. When I try the Alarm button, I don't get a response. It's evident that we're stuck and I'm not sure anyone can hear us, but I continue banging.

John tells me to relax and save my energy because with the controls down and power out, we could be trapped for days. When I don't stop banging, he comes to me and holds my hands, then leads me to sit down. Without asking, he looks into my handbag, brings out a bottle of water, and gives me to drink. It's my water, but I look at him suspiciously. After drinking it, he asks if I'm okay, and I nod. He again tells me to relax and promises to get me out of there. I sit back and wait to see what magic he performs.

He presses his ears to the doors and taps around until he gets to a certain point. He then goes to the elevator controls and pulls out the Stop knob. Without me asking, he says he wants to pry open the doors, and the Stop button would prevent the elevator from moving if power is suddenly restored. I'm impressed with the information and glad that he's a know-it-all.

He sticks his fingers into the cracks of the doors and starts to pull them apart, but they don't budge. He tries a second time and the doors only rattle a little. I get up to give him a hand, and he stops to look at me. He has an expression I cannot place, but when he apologises to me without warning, I'm the one with the expression I myself cannot place.

He explains that he knows I'm upset about him asking for the end-of-year project, but he only did because he has no plans for the holidays and wants something to keep him busy. I don't say a word, though I see a different side of him. I then feel bad for disliking him without knowing where he's coming from.

We stare awkwardly at each other, then he turns abruptly to continue with the doors until they slide open. I exclaim in relief, and luckily for us, we're almost on level five. With his hands firmly on level five's floor, he expertly lifts himself, and once he's safely out, he collects my folder and handbag, then pulls me up. I thank him with a hug, then accept his earlier apology.

Before we head for the meeting, I ask if truly he has no plan for the holidays, and he nods. I tell him that it's okay because the project is the only plan I have for the holidays and I wouldn't mind working with a know-it-all. He smiles and accepts my offer.