For those of you who are CNN watchers, the last week was
choc-a-block full of "Election 2008" coverage. And so it should be.
I mean after all this is one of the most exciting elections America
has
experienced for a long time…well at least for the past four
years.
But enough about that. We are all getting bombarded with the "he
said, she said" and the stories of friends and associates who will
result in the demise of our nation should we vote for the wrong
candidate.
So why would I continue the debate?
Well, the fact is, I’m not. Rather I wish to investigate a far
more interesting news story that appeared as just a blip on Good
Morning America and CNN this past week. The story involved a
riveting tale of a fellow who was stuck in an elevator for FORTY-ONE
HOURS.
Now this may not seem horrific to those of you who love to go
deep into the Oregon Caves, scouring the depth of the earth with no
fear that the ceiling of the cave will suddenly engulf you in a sea
of dirt.
And those of you who love to plunge into the deepest depth of the
ocean hooked to civilization by nothing more than a hose hooked up
to a boat fathoms above.
No for those folks, being stuck in an elevator for forty-one
hours would probably be but a blip on your radar. For if scuba
diving and cave crawling is your passion, odds are you are not
CLAUSTROPHOBIC!
So let me cut to the chase, that is my experience last summer as
I hoped for a peaceful two day stay in Monterey, California with a
friend from my college days. What could be less eventful and more
relaxing than two ladies, class of ’64, enjoying the sights and
smells of the Pacific Ocean, doing a little sightseeing and even a
bit of shopping for just 30-hours.
Well, let me fill you in. No, we were not stuck in an elevator
for forty-one hours but we were stuck in an elevator for more than
half an hour and I cannot for the life of me figure out how the guy
who was stuck for 41-hours survived. Fortunately for him, there was
a video camera recording all 1,660-minutes of his stay so the
settlement he received for this, "inconvenience", yes, that is how
it was referred, was GIGANTIC. And good for him, he deserved a
gigantic settlement.
For us, however, the "settlement" was small enough that I would
not repeat the experience for twice the amount.
It is important to explain that I am NOT claustrophobic, well
except if a back zipper gets caught and I cannot untangle my dress
from around my throat. That does tend to make me a bit testy and in
fact, I once cut a Lord and Taylor frock from the front of the
waistband to the neck in order to extricate myself from the outfit.
Harry was at the store and by the time he got back I had ruined the
dress and had actually nicked my neck in my urgency to get out of
the offending
garment. His comment? "Why didn’t you go next door, Char’s home".
UUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHH!
Anyway, back to the hotel. My friend and I had decided we should
go to a chi-chi restaurant for dinner and had gotten all dressed up
for the occasion. This was good, as it meant we had gone for the
"layered" look which proved important as we began removing clothing
items the longer we remained entrapped in the elevator.
The biggest problem was the lone staff person at the registration
desk who chose to ignore the ringing of elevator alarm for what
seemed eternity. My friend, who DOES suffer from claustrophobia
began banging on the door as I continued pressing the alarm all to
no avail. Finally I realized the box that says, "emergency
telephone"
was right in front of me, so I dialed. After an unbelievable
number
of rings a female answered stating, "We coming. We coming now."
Little did I know she was a fibber.
Minutes passed, my friend removed her jacket and finally sat on
the floor of the elevator, taking mini breaths. Why do people always
think the oxygen is going to run out? I promised I would only
exhale, and phoned again. This time the lady answered more quickly
but seemed annoyed. "I said, we coming now. Coming now."
I stated we had now been in the elevator for 15-minutes and heard
nary a sound from outside our cell. My friend meanwhile has removed
her shoes and is looking for other items to make her stay more
comfortable.
Now I am REALLY annoyed. It had been 20-minutes and no sound of
assistance.
I call again. This time lady answers , restates, "we coming" and
hangs up on me. I have passed annoyed and think I might be able to
rip the doors open. When suddenly it dawns on me, I HAVE A CELL
PHONE. So I called the Monterey Fire Dept. who arrived in less than
five minutes.
Needless to say the bonus was three very young, very attractive,
very attentive firemen and oh, and did I mention the "compensation
for our inconvenience"? That was nice too!=
by:
Bobbie Wallinger
