Member-only story
Stuck In An Elevator at the Dentist’s Office
I shouldn’t have been there. My hygienist told me there were elevator problems and I should take the stairs. But I was late for a teeth cleaning and I’d forgotten her warning. Who knew a visit to my dentist would become a Hitchcockian thriller?
My dentist’s office is located in an aging six-story medical building in Burbank. My appointment was for 9:00 am. By the time I found parking, I was five minutes late. I pressed the elevator button and waited. I entered the lift with three others. There was a frail looking man in his 90’s with a hearing aid, a 30ish plump Latino woman and her young daughter. I pressed the 3rd floor button and asked the woman what floor she wanted.
“Quatro, por favor,” she said.
I pressed the 4th floor button.
“How about you, sir?”
“What,” he said.
“What floor do you want?”
“I can’t hear you.”
“What floor,” I yelled.
“Five,” he said flashing five fingers.
The elevator made a creaking sound and the doors closed in a herky jerky fashion. We heard the sound of grinding gears as the conveyor started upwards. Somewhere between the second and third floor, the elevator started shaking horribly. It came to a stop. The floor…
