department to come?”
I didn’t hear whatever she answered because above me I heard a man’s voice. Like God. “Alison?”
“Kevin?” Not God, but close enough.
“Are you stuck?” he asked.
“I’m not in here voluntarily,” I said. I thought that was obvious.
“No need for sarcasm, honey. Press the ‘four’ and ‘five’ button at the same time,” he called down. “I pried open the door on six but I’ll close it now. See if that works.”
I heard the door to six slam shut and I stood, doing as Kevin suggested. In an instant, the elevator heaved downward, slowly, and picked up a little speed as we descended but not so much as to throw us to the ground upon arrival on the first floor. I pulled the gate open and the door took a moment to open, but finally did. I was greeted by four firefighters, Amanda and her tearstained face, and the most welcome sight of all, Crawford.
Trixie and I stepped from the elevator. “Everything’s fine,” I said. “I’m sorry for bringing you out for a nonemergency.”
The shortest and stockiest of the firefighters was wearing a coil of rope around his shoulder. Presumably he was the one who was going to haul himself into the elevator shaft and rescue the big, tall woman and her dog. “You okay, ma’am?”
“I’m fine,” I assured him. “You can go. Really. But thanks for coming.”
He turned to the other firefighters and waved them off. They looked like an eager bunch, ready for some action in the elevator shaft.
I turned to Crawford. “Hiya, Crawford. What are you doing here?”
“I thought we could catch a quick drink before I go home. But I didn’t know that you were this lonely. You didn’t have to call Hook and Ladder 13,” he said, hooking a thumb toward the firefighters clustered in the hallway who were reassembling the gear that they had brought in with them. He smirked a little bit. “How did you get out?”
“Oh, Kevin gave me some cockamamie trick for getting out that required me to hold down two floor numbers at the same time.” The firefighters left, en masse, and got into the fire truck, parked an angle in the front parking lot. Amanda shut the door behind them and locked it. “Thanks for calling in for me, Amanda.”
She was still sniffling. “You’re welcome.” She looked at Crawford. “Weekday visitation ends at eleven,” she reminded me.
“I know,” I said. “We’ll take it outside.” I watched as she settled in behind the big desk, her eyes going to the textbook on top of it. “Do you want Trixie to keep you company while you’re on desk duty?” I knew that she would be there until eleven and figured she might want some company for the next four or so hours.
“Sure,” she said, looking up briefly before turning her attention back to her textbook. Her hair, more unkempt than usual, fell in front of her thick-framed glasses, a curly halo.
I walked Trixie over to the desk and told her to keep Amanda company. She settled into the deep space under the desk and fell asleep. “She shouldn’t have to go o-u-t,” I whispered. Trixie had an uncanny ability to spell words that meant a lot to her including “food,” “water,” “ball,” and “bone.”
Amanda looked up at me. “Dogs can’t spell.”
“This one can,” I said, and started off down the hall, Crawford in tow.
“What’s her problem?” he asked. Having two teenage daughters made him acutely sensitive to their attitudes and problems.
“Besides being in love with Wayne?” I whispered when we were a safe distance away.
His eyes were wide. “Really?” We got to my room, continuing our whispered chat in the hallway. “How did you find that out?”
“Elevator confession,” I said. “I have a couple of hours before I have to put this place on lockdown. Do you want to get a drink somewhere so I can tell you what else has been going on?”
His face lit up and that made any memory of being trapped in an elevator with Trixie and her fish
I didn’t hear whatever she answered because above me I heard a man’s voice. Like God. “Alison?”
“Kevin?” Not God, but close enough.
“Are you stuck?” he asked.
“I’m not in here voluntarily,” I said. I thought that was obvious.
“No need for sarcasm, honey. Press the ‘four’ and ‘five’ button at the same time,” he called down. “I pried open the door on six but I’ll close it now. See if that works.”
I heard the door to six slam shut and I stood, doing as Kevin suggested. In an instant, the elevator heaved downward, slowly, and picked up a little speed as we descended but not so much as to throw us to the ground upon arrival on the first floor. I pulled the gate open and the door took a moment to open, but finally did. I was greeted by four firefighters, Amanda and her tearstained face, and the most welcome sight of all, Crawford.
Trixie and I stepped from the elevator. “Everything’s fine,” I said. “I’m sorry for bringing you out for a nonemergency.”
The shortest and stockiest of the firefighters was wearing a coil of rope around his shoulder. Presumably he was the one who was going to haul himself into the elevator shaft and rescue the big, tall woman and her dog. “You okay, ma’am?”
“I’m fine,” I assured him. “You can go. Really. But thanks for coming.”
He turned to the other firefighters and waved them off. They looked like an eager bunch, ready for some action in the elevator shaft.
I turned to Crawford. “Hiya, Crawford. What are you doing here?”
“I thought we could catch a quick drink before I go home. But I didn’t know that you were this lonely. You didn’t have to call Hook and Ladder 13,” he said, hooking a thumb toward the firefighters clustered in the hallway who were reassembling the gear that they had brought in with them. He smirked a little bit. “How did you get out?”
“Oh, Kevin gave me some cockamamie trick for getting out that required me to hold down two floor numbers at the same time.” The firefighters left, en masse, and got into the fire truck, parked an angle in the front parking lot. Amanda shut the door behind them and locked it. “Thanks for calling in for me, Amanda.”
She was still sniffling. “You’re welcome.” She looked at Crawford. “Weekday visitation ends at eleven,” she reminded me.
“I know,” I said. “We’ll take it outside.” I watched as she settled in behind the big desk, her eyes going to the textbook on top of it. “Do you want Trixie to keep you company while you’re on desk duty?” I knew that she would be there until eleven and figured she might want some company for the next four or so hours.
“Sure,” she said, looking up briefly before turning her attention back to her textbook. Her hair, more unkempt than usual, fell in front of her thick-framed glasses, a curly halo.
I walked Trixie over to the desk and told her to keep Amanda company. She settled into the deep space under the desk and fell asleep. “She shouldn’t have to go o-u-t,” I whispered. Trixie had an uncanny ability to spell words that meant a lot to her including “food,” “water,” “ball,” and “bone.”
Amanda looked up at me. “Dogs can’t spell.”
“This one can,” I said, and started off down the hall, Crawford in tow.
“What’s her problem?” he asked. Having two teenage daughters made him acutely sensitive to their attitudes and problems.
“Besides being in love with Wayne?” I whispered when we were a safe distance away.
His eyes were wide. “Really?” We got to my room, continuing our whispered chat in the hallway. “How did you find that out?”
“Elevator confession,” I said. “I have a couple of hours before I have to put this place on lockdown. Do you want to get a drink somewhere so I can tell you what else has been going on?”
His face lit up and that made any memory of being trapped in an elevator with Trixie and her fish
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