Elevator

            Katherine tapped her Jimmy Choo heel against the granite floor impatiently as she waited for the elevator. "Thirty-six... Thiry-five... Thirty-four..." she counted down, "Oh for f***s sake!" She mumbled under her breath when the light struck floor thirty-three and sat. Closing her eyes she started counting backwards from one-hundred like her therapist had told her to do whenever she felt her temper flare up. When she heard the ding signifying the elevator had reached her level she opened her eyes, blowing a loose strand of jet black hair out of her eyes. Picking up her Louis Voutton suitcase she stepped onto the elevator, nearly running into the woman who stood inside.

            "Watch it lady," Katherine said with impatience. She sucked in her breath and rolled her eyes when she saw who stood before her. It was an elderly woman with short silver hair that curled around her ears. Her small frame looked frail beneath a loose sweater and baggy blue jeans. She clutched a large tote with balls of yarn and needles poking out between the straws.

            The old woman chuckled and looked up at Katherine with her bright blue eyes. They reminded her of her own eyes and for a moment she wondered if she was looking at her future self. There was a familiarity about this woman she couldn't quite place.

            "What are you laughing at?"

            "You." The old woman replied simply.

            "What about me?"

            She sighed and shook her head. "You look like a damn floozie, that's what."

            "What the hell is a floozie?"

            "A woman that tries too hard to impress."

            "Look, lady, I don't need to try to impress. I just do."

            Once again she chuckled. "Alright then." A moment passed and they stood in silence. Katherine could smell the scent of mint and soap mixed together. It reminded her of her own grandmother's house. "Mind pressing the button? I'm in a hurry here." Katherine looked down at the numbers and realized they weren't moving. She pressed the pad of her thumb on the LOBBY button and leaned back against the railing.

            As the elevator jerked to life the lights flickered. Katherine looked up into the flourescent bulbs. Then like the ground had been ripped from beneath her she was suddenly air-borne. She heard a shrill scream that sounded like a banshee from hell but couldn't tell if it were her or the old woman. DING DING DING DING the elevator chirped with each passing floor. As quick as it began the elevator halted to an abrupt stop, sending Katherine and the old woman flailing across the car.

            "WHAT THE F**K!" Katherine screamed.

            "Calm down."

            "To hell with that! Get me off this f****n' thing!"

            "I said calm down!" The old woman slapped her, hard, across the face. Stunned, Katherine glared at the woman. She suddenly didn't look quite as old as she had before. Once again she closed her eyes and began to count backwards, trying to calm herself. As soon as she shut her eyes she felt as if the car were tightening around her. Her breathing became ragged and without warning she began to hyperventalate. Darkness cradled her body and she trembled. She wondered what might happen if the car hit ground level and she survived. What if nobody reached her. What if she died because she couldn't breath. What if the debris of the car flooded her lungs and she suffocated...

            "You OK?" She felt herself being shaken. "Hey! Oh Lord, don't let this be on my shoulders. Please wake up."

            Katherine opened her eyes and blinked at the bright lights that invaded her vision. "Yeah. I'm fine lady. Get off me." She pushed herself up and leaned her head against the wall, welcoming the cool metal against her clammy skin.

            "Oh thank heavens. Are you sure you're OK? You're pale as death. You want some water? Here, drink this." She pulled a clear bottle from her tote and handed it to Katherine.

            "Thanks." She grabbed the bottle and twisted the top off, taking a big gulp. "Vodka? You've gotta be kidding me!" She smiled at the woman and took another swig. "Listen, sorry about earlier. Had a bad morning."

            "Me too hun, I shouldn't have called you a floozie."

            Katherine took another small sip before handing the now half-empty bottle back to the woman. "Don't worry about it. Comes with the job I guess. So do you normally carry around 16.9 ounces of Vodka or is today a special occasion?"

            "Oh I had a meeting today." Katherine stared at her in confusion. "Sewing meeting," she said with distraction in her voice.

            "Sounds like a party..." Katherine trailed off, suddenly disinterested.

            She rolled her eyes. "We don't really sew. It's more of an excuse to get away from our husbands for the day and gossip."

            Katherine let out a throaty laugh. Maybe this really was her future staring at her. "I like you. By the way, what's your name?"

            The old woman fumbled around in her bag with her brow furrowed. "Lola." She fished out a Blackberry and held it towards the ceiling. "No reception," she said softly.

            "Well I'm Katherine," she noticed Lola had paled and her eyes looked watery like she was about to cry. "Drink some of that Vodka you have there, it will calm you down."

            "Oh I'm fine, really. I just..."

            "Claustrophobic?"

            "No..."

            "Afraid of heights?"

            "It's not that..."

            "Well then what is it? I got all day it looks like."

            "It doesn't matter." She wiped the tears that trickled down her cheeks away, smudging her rosy blush. "What were you saying earlier? Something about work... what do you do?"

            "I'm an... entertainer." Normally she didn't worry about being judged, but for some reason she didn't want Lola to think less of her.

            "I wasn't born yesterday you know. I know what entertainer means. In fact we've hired a few for our meetings." Her eyes shined at the thought. "So you're a stripper then huh?"

            "No, not quite. I work for an escort service. I specialize in... well," Katherine looked at Lola. Her bright blue eyes stared intensely at her own and she realized she couldn't lie to this woman. There would be no point, she would know. "I'm a dominatrix."

            Lola blushed but appeared to be intrigued. "What's it like?" She asked in a small voice. She stared at her small feet, not wanting to meet Katherine's eyes.

            Before Katherine could answer the elevator sputtered to a start. With an ironic grace they glided the last twenty-two floors down. When Katherine glanced at Lola she had her eyes shut, her lips moving rapidly. She left her to her thoughts and waited to reach ground level. When they did the two moved out of the sliding door quickly, not wanting to be trapped in the small car any longer. Katherine reached down towards the woman and gave her a long hug. She couldn't help but wonder what Lola had been so petrified of after she'd so easily calmed her down.

            "Lola, what was it that scared you up there?" She asked with a softness she hadn't heard in her voice in a long while.

            Lola once again tilted her head back and stared into Katherine's ice blue eyes. She reached up and tucked Katherine's short hair behind one ear. "I thought about my great-grandchildren," she paused, "I was afraid I wouldn't get a chance to meet them."

            Katherine realized why Lola had seemed so familiar, she reminded her very much of her own grandmother. She gave her a warm smile and bent down to embrace her once again. "They are very lucky to have a grandma like you. Take care of yourself." She sauntered out the glass doors of the hotel, whipping out her cell to contact her next client. Hovering over his name she decided to skip it and clicked a different number she hadn't contacted in a while. The familiar voice answered on the other end. "Hi, Nana. I miss you." She beeped off her car alarm and hopped in, headed to her next destination.

Reviews

[Alphachad]

Whoa totally got me hooked. Awesome read, awesome ending.