PAST LIFE DIARY 1 - Story 15 - The damn elevator! (Jeremy)

 

THE DAMN ELEVATOR! (Jeremy)

I'm now inside the elevator itself. It's working again after we fixed it. I'm here with my two coworkers, James Cox and Trudy. We're going down. Then, the elevator stops. I'm worried Trudy's going to start panicking again. He starts to scream. He has a really high-pitched voice. I'd tell him to keep calm so he doesn't take in too much oxygen in this small space, but I'm afraid that, if I mention that, it would cause him to panic even more. We try to call out, but no one's responding. They've all gone home already at the end of the workday. The light goes out now too. I'm careful about what I say because I don't want to trigger Trudy even more. I'm angry. James tells me to calm down. I tell him to just let me be, and complain that it's hot. Not long after, the light goes back on and we somehow get the elevator doors to slide open a little, but it's not enough to get out; it's stuck at a slit of about the width of a hand. It's decided that I should be the one that shouts out cause I have the strongest voice. It's already dark. There's a wooden plank stuck in front of the elevator door from the outside. It's there for safety. We each sit down in a corner. I assume we'll be here till the morning. At least we have some fresh air coming in now. I guess I might as well get some sleep.

After a while, I wake up and hear a woman's voice outside calling my name "Jeremiah" over and over. Still disoriented from sleep, I think it's Louise, even though she's already died. Next thing, I find my daughter Penny looking through the slit into the elevator. I call her by her proper name Penelope. She's dressed in white and yellow, wearing an A-line skirt, a cardigan, and flat ballerinas. She took the car and came here cause I hadn't come home from work yet. We're all happy she came, but the question remains: How can we get out of this place? I tell her she better get back home cause it might not be safe here outside in the middle of the night. She looks around and moves away towards a large thing on the ground at which she starts to push and pull. It's a lever by the rails. James and Trudy seem worried about her getting hurt cause there's electricity involved, but I tell them she's smart and knows what she's doing. I wish I could help her cause it's hard work for a woman. It takes a while, but then suddenly steam appears somewhere around the elevator, and finally the doors open. There's laughter now. James says I have a smart daughter. I proudly explain that I taught her a few things. I hug her. She feels really skinny. There's a big block of rock or concrete in front of the elevator which we still have to jump off from. James and I get off, but it's too high for Trudy. He wants me to pick him up, but I say he's too heavy for me, so I let him climb on my back instead. My brave girl is crying now. James goes over to her and holds out his hand. He asks if it's okay to hug her, and they hug. She leads us back to the car but seems a little unsure about where she parked it, and it's quite dark. We find the car; a white one. We discuss who should drive; me or her. She says I should have the honors. I'm reluctant, but I try not to show it. The truth is that I don't feel confident driving cause I twitch. Penny's sitting next to me, and James and Trudy are sitting in the back. James jokes that he would prefer Trudy to sit in the front (instead of Penny) so he could see my pretty daughter. Penny warns me about an obstacle on the terrain, but it's too late and the car comes to halt as we bump into the obstacle. I say: "Don't tell me we have a flat tire!" "Hallelujah!" James says. I get out and find that the tire under the driver's seat is indeed flat. I guess we could go on without changing it, but we wouldn't get very far. I do have a spare tire in the trunk, but it's not a new one nor is it in good condition. I tell Penny: "You know I can't change tires anymore." It's not just because of the twitch; there's also an issue with my right wrist. One of them suggests we walk to the road and see if we can hitch a ride. I insist this car is going to take us home. My wrist hurts while changing the tire. I then tell the others to push the car, and so they do. I tell Penny to step back cause this is men's work. The car starts rolling again, so we get in, but it feels like it's not entirely balanced. I suspect the wheel is misaligned. We don't get far cause now the engine stops. We decide to stay in the car till the morning and sleep. Tomorrow's Saturday, but we have work.

When we wake up in the morning, we find ourselves to be quite close to the road. A guy with a truck found us and offers to help and tow the car to a gas station. Trudy goes back to the plant to tell the boss we're taking the day off cause we didn't get home last night. I might go back to work in the afternoon, though. The guy at the gas station explains that there is considerable damage to the car, and that it will cost a lot of money to repair. It's too much in my opinion, and I would rather get it fixed at the place I know. He's being persistent, though. I tell him I'll go home and come back later to tow the car away. He's talking rudely now and tells me the car has to be removed off his property. I guess we could at least push it away, but I'm quite hungry now and would prefer to have breakfast first, though none of us carry much money with us, and I certainly don't count on this angry money wolf to give us some food for free. I guess we'll just have to push the car away after all. Meanwhile, Penny is standing by the side of the road trying to hitch a ride. I disapprove and tell her to stop it, but she insists. She's quite fed up, her hair messy and blowing in the wind. Amazingly, a car stops. I rush to the car, leaving my own car behind despite the angry gas station owner. We all get in; Penny in the front passenger seat next to the driver, and us guys in the back. I'm so relieved the driver is a black guy! The mood has changed now, and I feel like we got really lucky. As I look through the window, tears come to my eyes. I think life can give so much hardship, but then there are a few very nice moments to cherish.