Lift Me Up

Wifey and I were working in an office building. We were typing away on our computers. Evidently, each of us had our own reports to complete.

Our cubicles were facing each other, where we both could see one another seated at our desks from across the aisle.

About an hour before the day ended, Wifey asked me to be the lookout for her because she was too tired and wanted to rest her eyes. I felt it was wrong to "eat on company's time," but obliged anyway.

When the day ended, we both packed-up and headed to the lift lobby to get down to the ground floor. There were many lifts in a row, but there were as many office people too waiting to take the lifts down.

Giving way, Wifey went into on of the lifts without me. With another guy seemingly preoccupied and with an impatient look on his face, I was left behind with him to take the next available one.


We waited for a long time for the next lift to stop on our floor, but none did. All carriages had "full load" signs flashing and bypassed our floor.

Instinctively, both of us walked off to take another lift at another lobby. It had a see through glass ceiling and was built on the exterior of the building. However, the lift served only the middle floors and did not go all the way down to the ground floor.

Upon realizing it, irritated and murmuring to himself, the man pressed for one of the nearest floors and went out of the lift. I was then alone in the lift, pressed the top button, decided to go right back up to the same floor where I worked and take our usual lift down from there.

On the way up, the lift stopped but the doors would not open. I pressed the buttons for few floors down. It went jerked, and went downwards too fast that made my heart jumped. It was like free-falling.

I thought the carriage was going to crash at the bottom with me in it, but it jerked and screeched to a stop in between floors, nearing its lowest serving floor.

It was no longer responding to any other buttons I pressed. I was trapped inside. I pressed the alarm button for help but it was not working either.

I kept looking up the glass ceiling for somebody to notice my plight. I waited for quite a long while before a lady chanced upon me.

She happened to walk passed the corridor beside where the lift shaft was and saw me waving frantically at her from inside.

With an apron on her, I figured she worked at the restaurant on that floor. I gestured to her that I was trapped and for her to call for help.

Instead of looking for help, she climbed and perched precariously on the parapet, leaned forward with her arms out stretched to reach for the lift's top ceiling. With all her might, I saw, she managed to unlatch to the top hatch.

Stepping on the handrails on each foot, I climbed up and pushed open the hatch. I climbed through it and down to the walkway.


Composing myself a while, I then thanked her profusely for putting her own life in danger in order to save me.

She was wearing a sandy-colored blouse with dark pants. Her apron was white. I noticed she was indeed a beautiful young lady in her twenties... apart from nerves of steel, she was by no means acrophobic.

I introduced myself and extended my hands to shake hers. Peeling the apron off her and wiping her hands that was dirtied from touching the dusty and greasy metal bars, she reciprocated while introducing herself as Iryani.

I was thinking fast and hard on how I should repay this lady who did a courageous and selfless act to save a man, but I drew a blank. Most probably still shaken by the whole incident. While trying to come up with something, I had to stall by babbling to her that I had to take a picture with my cell phone as evidence to report the incident.

While snapping the photo of the lift, I was also thinking to myself, "Hey, this will be a good blog post!"

Then I woke-up... lifted-off from slumber, seated-up and dazed.

It was late Sunday afternoon. Fasting would make one sleepy if there was nothing to do... the reason why decided to take a short nap. Wifey was watching her favourite Korean variety show.

Wow! What a ride.

Even though it was a mid-afternoon dream, I regretted that I did not get the opportunity to return her kindness in my dream... whomever Ms. Iryani was. I also realized how stupid I was to never thought of using my cell-phone to call for help, but was so quick-witted to take a picture instead.

What was I thinking... or dreaming?!

Was Wifey waiting long for me at the ground floor? Or were we still single and Wifey a girl at the office I was trying to woo? Who is Ms. Iryani? Why do I still remember her face, but I know I have never met her?

Well, thank goodness it was just that... a dream.

Then again, I still get to post this "experience" in my blog anyway. And I got my Wifey.

Now it is left to interpretations... any takers?