Last night I was only taking the elevator down to meet a person arriving late to Patricia's soiree. This week, she invited me to work with her. My job was to escort the guests up in the elevator that required a key to operate.
The entire evening, my biggest fear was getting stuck inside the elevator. So I always made sure there were not more than three guests in the elevator for each ride. I told every group I escorted up, that I only wanted to ride up with 3 because I did not want the elevator to get stuck. They all smiled and understood.
I attracted my biggest fear, by holding it clearly in the front of my mind.
Even in a tiny elevator, God or my Guardian Angel or that “Something” is with me. On this particular evening, there was one man who decided to leave the party early and caught the elevator door just before it was closing, he got in at the last second to ride down with me. He didn’t want to stay for dinner. I wished that he was not leaving so soon, because he had looked like someone I wanted to talk to later. He looked strong and he was attractive and I never miss the opportunity to look at an attractive man.
So again I thank God, I also attracted one of the most attractive men at the party to be trapped along side me.
When the elevator stopped, and my mind knew it was not going to move, I asked him to help me. He looked puzzled, because he was trapped too. I felt the panic start to rise inside of me, and I caught my breath to ask him again to help me. He didn’t know what to do as he looked at me, my eyes started to fill with tears, fear took over and I needed to get out.
As I screamed, trembled, dripped in sweat, trying to use the key to move the elevator while trying to breathe, he grabbed me, he put my head to his chest and told me to close my eyes and relax. He held me really tight. His arms surrounded me and my fear.
I didn't realize how much I was shaking until I felt the stillness of his body and his hands on my head. He whispered, “Shhhhhh.” I tried to relax, and catch my breath as he started speaking French to a voice coming in over the elevator speaker phone. He sounded so calm, speaking what sounded like he was giving the address of our location, on rue de Rivoli. How could he be so calm? How could he sound simply as if he were placing an order at a restaurant? We were trapped.
My hair was soaked in sweat, my face was soaked with tears and sweat, but he never let me go, I caught my breath enough to ask him what did they say? This man holding me, was born and raised in Paris with parents from Saudi Arabia, answered my question with a question. " Well,” he said calmly, “ Do you want me to give you the Barack Obama answer or the Bernie Mac answer?"
I wanted to hear an answer with hope or change for the situation we were in, so I said "Obama, I want the Obama answer." So he looked very stern and serious then said impersonating Obama, "Hey look, I’m going to tell you like it is. This is not a good situation… and we are going to be stuck here for awhile, and, Well, that's the way it is." I had to laugh. Was he serious? He laughed with me as he wiped the sweat from my forehead and the tears from my face. I told him I didn't like that answer, still shaking a little, I said I wanted the Bernie Mac answer instead. So he relaxed his arms a little, still holding me and said, in a Bernie Mac voice, " Damn baby, now if you just relax, I'm going to get us out of here and take you to dinner. I want to take you to dinner you know? You know what I’m sayin? ” He made me laugh. I asked him why did he come to the party if he was leaving so soon. He laughed and said, “I came to the party to save you in the elevator, why else?” I think he was right.
Thank God he was inside with me and thank God, that the first and I pray the last time this will ever happen was in a tiny glass elevator. We could see outside, so why the fear?
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