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Sometimes You Gotta Go Down to Go Up 7:00 a.m., Monday morning. Social Security Administration. Hilo Business District. Island of Hawaii. Three men and two women escape the torrential downpour and board the elevator. Martin Jones. Extremely handsome man of little distinction. "Martin! Don't touch it!" Ida Mae screamed as he was about to push the 'up' button. "Touch it," said Roger, winking at Gina. She rolled her eyes. Roger Jones. Bad toupee, bad sense of humour; in love with
Gina. Martin stopped in mid-punch. "Why?" "Because it could be rigged!" Ida Mae. Early fifties, no sense of fashion. Martin chuckled. "Too early for that." As everyone piled on, Keoni stood waiting. Keoni Lehua. Islander, gorgeous. In love with Gina. Roger looked at him. "Oh for god's sake, what are you waiting for? A Palapala Kono?" "No, I don't need an invitation." Keoni made his grand entrance and took his place behind everyone. Gina looked at him. "How are ya today?" "You don't want to know," Keoni said in a sugary voice. "Ding, ding, ding!" said Roger. "We have a winner!" "Keep it down, folks," said Martin. "I've got some files to look over before we get upstairs. Video conference." Gina slithered over to him. "Anything I can help you with, sugar?" She moved her cleavage within his reach. "Thank you, Miss Ravine, I've got it." He didn't look up, so she sulked back over between Roger and Keoni. Ida Mae let out a snort of disgust. The crew rode in silence another ten floors. An alarm sounded between the fifteenth and sixteenth floors, the car lurched to a halt and the red flashing emergency lights kicked on. The car now looked like a bad rendition of Saturday Night Fever. Ida Mae screamed out. "OH GOD, I knew it, we're gonna die!" Roger said, "And me without any hairspray." Ida jumped into Martin's arms, strewing his papers to the floor. Martin, not being a young man, grunted an old man noise -- for Ida was not a thin woman. "Unhand him, this INSTANT, old lady!" Gina yelled. Ida Mae jumped down. "Who you calling OLD?" said Ida. "Who you callin a lady?" chimed Roger. "YOU!" Ida Mae pointed at Roger. "You planned this disaster, didn't you? I should have listened to my horoscope today." Martin attempted to console Ida Mae. "Hey, look at that. One of my toes is bigger than the other," said Gina, now sitting on the floor. Both Roger and Keoni scooted towards her. "Turn this whole thing around to be about you." said Ida Mae. Gina shrugged. "Calm down. It won't be long before the repairmen get to us. In the meantime, nothing wrong with making the best of it, is there?" "That's easy for you to say, Miss, 'Fifty cents on the dollar,'" said Ida Mae. Gina flinched. "You implying that I'm cheap?" Roger said, "I could afford you." He then turned to Keoni. "And while we're at it, you've not been able to peel your eyes off her ass since getting stuck on this hanging asylum." Keoni stood, but Gina intercepted. "Guys, please. Can we not fight? Save it for when we've been here for twelve hours and we're desperate for food." Twelve hours later everyone in the car was desperate for food. Another fight broke out. This one had to do with Roger's toupee, and somehow Keoni's racial heritage figured into the conversation. They fell silent. Martin studied reports. Ida Mae kept looking around her, as if expecting the S.W.A.T. team. Keoni and Roger kept Gina sandwiched between them, and each time she snuggled up to Keoni, Roger inched closer to her. Another hour passed. And another. They could hear the rain's relentless beating on the roof of the building. "How in hell can you read by the blinking whorehouse light?" asked Roger. Ida Mae snorted. "Must you reduce everything to sex?" "Hmmmn, could be you're just a bit jealous?" he asked. Ida Mae snorted again. Gina was tired of the rain-song, so she stretched, which garnered the attention of everyone in the car, save Martin, which made her frown. "Martin. How's the leg?" He looked up and suddenly noticed how beautiful her eyes were. Almond and exotic, like the eyes of a trusting cat. Martin had a wooden leg. Horrendous computer accident that he never talked about. He continued to stare. "Martin?" "Orgasms," was all he muttered. Everyone looked up. Gina giggled. Roger whistled. Keoni said an "atta boy." Ida Mae snorted. Martin blushed. "Er.....I......der......." Gina stopped the bleeding. "No need, sugar. It happens. But you have to buy me dinner first." The joke caused almost everyone in the car to chuckle. Ida Mae snorted again. Gina sat next to Martin and looked him in the eye. "How's the leg working out for you?" "Thank you for asking, Miss Ravine. Rather well, actually. Had a third fitting last month and those last adjustments did the trick." "Call me Gina." "All right." "My dad had a wooden leg." "You're kidding! You never told me that." "To be honest, you've never really gotten to know me on a personal level before. Just thought it out of bounds for office talk." "Guess I've always been wrapped up in my work." She nodded again. "Safer that way." This surprised him. "Hmmmn. Guess so. Very astute." She smiled. "I'm not all brawn." "How did it happen? Your dad, I mean?" said Martin. "Tractor accident. He was alone in the field when the brake disengaged and it backed over him before he could move. He nearly bled to death before we got him to the hospital." "When did he die?" asked Ida Mae. "Not long after. Developed an infection, and before we knew it, he was gone." The rain continued the morose soundtrack. Keoni broke the silence. "Lost my dad bout two years ago. Kilauea." Ida Mae gasped. "He didn't. . . ." ". . . .he did. Took a rock with him. Pele was angry. He didn't put it back before he died of cancer. He was working. Lava samples. He knew better. We were angry at him for the longest time." Roger said, "Lost my mother to breast cancer. Hardest thing in my life. We were really close." "You know, Roger, I think that's the first time I've ever heard you be serious about yourself. It becomes you," said Ida Mae. He blushed. "Thanks. I don't even buy what I sell half the time." "Then why do it?" asked Keoni. "Cause it's what I'm used to. It works on the shallow girls I date. I don't have to be responsible, ya know?" Gina looked impressed. "I think that shows real self-awareness, which like Ida said, becomes you." "Does that mean you'll go out with me?" his eyes twinkled. Everyone laughed. "Hey! Anyone there?" The voice came from floor sixteen. Everyone began yelling. "We'll get you out of there soon as we can." "We need a bathroom, and a bucket of chicken, stat!" said Roger. "If one of you can give us a hand, we'll get you out sooner. Need one of you to get on the car and reach up to the sixteenth floor. We've got to lessen the weight in the car." Roger and Keoni helped Martin through the ceiling. But his reach was just short of the paramedic. "I can't get to you," said the paramedic. "I can't drop anymore weight on the cable or it'll go. Got a way to hoist yourself up?" Without thinking, Martin took off his leg. It was just enough to reach the paramedic. Within the hour, the car's cable had been secured with a pulley. Each person was helped out, and everyone made a beeline for the bathrooms. They met back in the hallway. Martin looked at Gina. "I want to thank you for what you did for me." "What?" "Got me to open up; something I just don't do. It was nice. Could we meet for coffee sometime?" "I'd love that." Roger said, "Gina, I'm sorry. For everything. You showed me that you're a real person. I have a whole new respect for you." "Thank you, Roger. And I wouldn't mind having coffee with you too." "Guys? Do you see what time it is?" It was 7:00 a.m. the next morning. They'd been there for twenty-four hours. Everyone nodded, but they knew that today would be different. "This time, let's take the stairs." |
Copyright © 2002, Carla René |
[Ab Fab]
[Zen]
[Dead Float]
[Sometimes...]
[Justifiable]
[The Mistress of Mince]
[White Plague]
[The Gaslight Journal]
