"What has my life come to?" thought Angie as she opened her postal box and flipped through bill after bill. "Some days I wish something exciting would happen for me." She reached over to hit the button on the elevator. "A miracle would be nice." There she stood for a moment, her hair done up in a lazy bun with little fallen curls framing her face. She wore a navy pea-coat over her restaurant uniform. It was cold downstairs in her apartment building as usual. She could hear the elevator hum as it came down and then stop, DING the doors slid open. Without having to look up she stepped inside, pressed the button to her floor and flipped through the mail some more reveling a letter that looked like it had been around the world and back. "Hmm..." Picking it up and turning it around she saw it was addressed to her, but there was no return address.
She stuffed the bills and junk mail in her bag and started to open the letter but stopped when someone else joined her in the elevator. He pressed the floor above hers. Awkward silence. Humming in her head and wishing she was alone. Why does it always seem like it takes forever to get to your floor when a stranger is in the elevator with you? Starring at the glowing blinking numbers on the wall almost not breathing. "I heard it's gonna snow again tomorrow." he said breaking the silence. "Oh really?" The light overhead buzzed and flickered. "Yeah, well I don't know exactly, I just heard it from some one else." he said lower. "Oh." Bzzzz - DING
Finally the elevator doors open and she walks out hearing the doors slide once again to close. Unlocking her door and quickly stepping inside she shut it, and bolted it again. Leaning against the wall she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She's always hated being in an elevator, and especially hated being in an elevator with a stranger. Walking into her kitchen she sat her bag and coat down on a chair and got a glass of water. She opened her freezer and took a pre-made meal out to warm it up in the oven. Taking a quick shower and dressing more comfortable she sat down and said a little prayer before eating her "Gourmet" dinner. Just as she was about to take a bite, there was a knock at her door. Startled, she dropped her fork which hit the side of the table and stuck fast into her bulletin board that was next to her telephone.
She got up to answer her door. Looked out the peep hole and saw a man in his 20's, laughably distorted by the fish eye glass as he looked at her door smiling. "Yes?" she said through the door. "Yeah, um... Hi! I'm the guy from the elevator, sorry to bother you but, you dropped your letter... in the elevator." he held it up to see - oh man, I can believe I forgot about it she thought. "Oh, okay... Thanks" she opened the door and reached for it. "I would have told you before" he said "but I didn't notice you had dropped it, until I realized that I forgot to check my mail just as I opened my door, and then without thinking I went back to the elevator, forgetting I left my keys inside..., Oh boy, well at-any-rate here's your letter."
"Thanks..." she said, "wait, did you say you left your keys in your apartment?" He looked down at his feet "Yeah, I know, I wasn't thinking straight! Now I gotta find a phone with an intact phone book so I can call the owners...or a locksmith." Her eyes went wide "Oh, hey I have a friend who is a locksmith, I can give you the number if you want..." "Yeah? That'd be great!" He smiled anxiously. "Um, just a minute." she turned away from the door leaving it open. Still staying put at the door he said, "My names John by the way, John Reeves." She grabbed a pen and paper off a little table, being preoccupied she said, "oh... I'm Angelina..." Looking at her letter once again and tilting his head and squinting his eyes a little he said, "Angelina Pratt?" "Hmm?... Oh yeah, 'Pratt'. Here you go, here's my friends name and number, I also wrote down the guy's number who owns this place" she said handing it to him.
"Thanks." he said. "Oh it's no trouble." she smiled politely. He stood there looking at the paper she had given him. Okay, you can leave now she thought. He looked back up at her with a sad puppy dog eyes. "Could I possibly use your phone?" she looked back inside for a moment nervously "uh...well...", "that's okay, I'll just go down the block and try to find a phone..." Okay then... bye she thought sarcastically he started to turn around to leave, "call for help if I don't make it back." he said over his shoulder. "Come in" she said as she smirked and held her door open. Just great, I finally meet a handsome guy and he reminds me of my brother she said inside her head. "Great, thanks!" he grins and walks in. "The phones in the kitchen, 'unfortunately for me', it's on the wall." she said as she walked to her kitchen showing John the phone in a 'ta-da' fashion.
He picked up the receiver and noticed the fork sticking out of the wall. lifting his eyebrows his gaze travels over to Angie who was at her sink absentmindedly trying to remove invisible food grime off a plate and making a mental note to herself, I need to get another phone to put near the front door. Breaking the silence once again he said, "I like the way you've decorated your kitchen." he said pointing to the fork sticking in the bulletin board. "What? Oh that, I was... that was accidental" she laughs "I was actually trying to aim for that bulls-eye." She laughed nervously pointing to the Target gift certificate she had pinned up on the board. Thinking she had been very clever with her explanation she leaned against the counter and folded her arms smiling. "I think maybe you need to use something better than a fork" he said scrutinizing the aim, "your actually pretty good, but you need to practice more on your aim!" he smirked at her and turned around to make his call.
Her face dropped. A dead "Huh." was all she could think of to say. How could he, he didn't have to notice, he didn't even need to say anything! Blushing with embarrassment, she went back to rinsing the dishes. Listening in on what was being said, he had called the owner who in turn had a spare key and was coming to his rescue.
"Hey, thanks again for letting me use your phone. I'm glad I met you in that elevator or I'd really have been up a creek. I just moved in last week and still haven't gotten the hang of things around here." he stared into her eyes and smiled. "Well then, I'm glad I was here to help out!" "Yeah...well, thanks again!" he started back, this time for the stairs. "Anytime!" she said after him as he waved back, ascending the stairs.
She closed her door smiling this time and humming a happy tune. Suddenly she stopped, "Oh shoot, my dinner!" she hurried into her kitchen table and saw it was cold and yucky looking now. Flopping into her chair she sat there staring at it for a minute. Her mind going through all that had happened that day. Quite boring until coming back home to her apartment and meeting John. She smiled and looked at the cheap fork still stuck in the cork of her bulletin board. Suddenly laughter filled the kitchen as she could not stop her hysteria. Standing up she thought about removing it but then opted not to, at least not until tomorrow. She wanted to laugh at the oddness of it again.
Suppressing her giggles she thought, "I'm too tired to eat now." Picking up the cold dinner and covering it, she placed it in the fridge. Wiped the table, double checked the security of the apartment and trudged into her bathroom where she brushed her teeth. Sleep trying desperately to take her, she slowly changed into her night gown. Falling into bed and pulling up the covers, she remembered John and the fork and smiled again before drifting off to sleep.
Her dream:
"Hi John, what was it you wanted to see me about?" she asked, John stood there and smiled. He was about to open his mouth and speak when suddenly two large shadows engulfed him as the ground gave way under him. His eyes pleading for help, his hand reaching for hers. Frightened and unable to move, she screamed as she helplessly watched him disapear into a vortex of darkness. Before he went out of view he threw a letter which landed at her feet. She opened it and read, "..Help me.."