The Elevator Story
M ran along the atrium desperately to catch the elevator. A taste of a knee here, an elbow there and of course the regular stumble later - not to forget the Excuse me and the Am sorry - he managed to force open the closing doors, Spiderman style. Immediately, 4 clear and 2 spectacled eyes ogled at him with a silent grimace. To avoid the honorary disgrace, M once inside, looked down at his shoelaces. What he did might have been improper. But then he cannot afford to be late for the meeting. He was sure he might admonish someone someday who might commit this act. Whatever! All he wished was that the 36th floor turns up in a flicker, so that he could deliver to his boss the stupendous business idea he had conceived. And walk back home with a fat bonus.
L pouted at this sudden impropriety inflicted by M in the elevator. Some people are always in a hurry. Born and raised in a poor drug afflicted African American family, L always felt that life was a chess game with the white pieces always trying to checkmate the black ones. But with his belief in himself and Bob Marley, he coaxed the American Dream to visit his doorstep. Started with a McDonalds home delivery job in hand, he somehow worked his way through college. With a few dollars in hand, he applied for a Stanford MBA and since, the greenback never seems to shy away from him. And here he is, in the Elevator of El Dorado, about to convince his client to invest in India, intermittently dreaming of a beach-house in Jamaica.
C's mood of the day: flirty. The break-up hangover had left her for the better. Life is so good, when you are single. Away from all the tantrums, back to the innumerable choices. The moment of irritation lasted only a second, as M entered. The cuteness factor in M crept C all over inside. She was eyeing him through the glossy mirrors in the elevator and just wished that he glances at her, atleast once. No guy can escape her beauty and charm after that. Being blond, intelligent and pretty carries with it benefits that no man and reality shows can ignore. Of course, being a secretary of the CEO handling a multinational corporation carries with it benefits that no human can ignore. All the while, C's mind started racing - Which firms are listed on the 36th floor? She was already forboding a date with this cute guy sometime soon.
P twitched his glasses as M barged in. He twitched them again as he continued reading through the case file. It was a complicated affair - fighting against an organisation accused of monopoly and unfair trade practices. He was carved with honesty and with just that trait - though it seemed utopian to many - he got successful and set up his own law firm in this hallowed place. His clients, an aspiring go-big organisation, repeatedly thwarted by their competitor's efforts to buckle them down, had approached him offering to pay 500 bucks an hour. P, never enticed by money, had accepted it after a thorough analysis of the company's claims. P reviewed the final pages of his compiled casefile to be presented to a jurisdiction court at midday. Ohh, how I wish Christmas was near. Ohh, how I wish the 58th floor was nearer.
It was 8.46 am. The elevator suddenly shook like crazy. M, L, C and P and their dreams plunged into an infinite abyss and blackness in this elevator of the North Tower of the World Trade Centre on September 11,2001.
M, L, C and P are a handful of the many victims that suffered that day. This is my ode to them and their dreams.
------
Know I should have posted this on the 5th year eve, a few days back. But guess you understand the metaphor in my last post. Time and death never waits for anybody.
L pouted at this sudden impropriety inflicted by M in the elevator. Some people are always in a hurry. Born and raised in a poor drug afflicted African American family, L always felt that life was a chess game with the white pieces always trying to checkmate the black ones. But with his belief in himself and Bob Marley, he coaxed the American Dream to visit his doorstep. Started with a McDonalds home delivery job in hand, he somehow worked his way through college. With a few dollars in hand, he applied for a Stanford MBA and since, the greenback never seems to shy away from him. And here he is, in the Elevator of El Dorado, about to convince his client to invest in India, intermittently dreaming of a beach-house in Jamaica.
C's mood of the day: flirty. The break-up hangover had left her for the better. Life is so good, when you are single. Away from all the tantrums, back to the innumerable choices. The moment of irritation lasted only a second, as M entered. The cuteness factor in M crept C all over inside. She was eyeing him through the glossy mirrors in the elevator and just wished that he glances at her, atleast once. No guy can escape her beauty and charm after that. Being blond, intelligent and pretty carries with it benefits that no man and reality shows can ignore. Of course, being a secretary of the CEO handling a multinational corporation carries with it benefits that no human can ignore. All the while, C's mind started racing - Which firms are listed on the 36th floor? She was already forboding a date with this cute guy sometime soon.
P twitched his glasses as M barged in. He twitched them again as he continued reading through the case file. It was a complicated affair - fighting against an organisation accused of monopoly and unfair trade practices. He was carved with honesty and with just that trait - though it seemed utopian to many - he got successful and set up his own law firm in this hallowed place. His clients, an aspiring go-big organisation, repeatedly thwarted by their competitor's efforts to buckle them down, had approached him offering to pay 500 bucks an hour. P, never enticed by money, had accepted it after a thorough analysis of the company's claims. P reviewed the final pages of his compiled casefile to be presented to a jurisdiction court at midday. Ohh, how I wish Christmas was near. Ohh, how I wish the 58th floor was nearer.
It was 8.46 am. The elevator suddenly shook like crazy. M, L, C and P and their dreams plunged into an infinite abyss and blackness in this elevator of the North Tower of the World Trade Centre on September 11,2001.
M, L, C and P are a handful of the many victims that suffered that day. This is my ode to them and their dreams.
------
Know I should have posted this on the 5th year eve, a few days back. But guess you understand the metaphor in my last post. Time and death never waits for anybody.
posted by Tejas at 7:11 AM
8 Comments:
YOu never cease to surprise me, do you? One of the most touching that have been blogged by you. Recently I was watching United 93 and suddenly i realised that it could have been one of my family members in that plane. The article captures the human dream and the uncertainity of life or being alive the next moment....but nevertheless life still struggles to move on and within us...each day each moment and in each breath..toast to being alive at thsi moment... kya pata kal ho na ho...( the above comment as a strong undercurrent notation about friendship and how one should rember and call friends...for they can be dead the next moment)...RUpesh
very well written Tejas! ... am glad u took the time to write this one ... life is just so unpredictable na ... we need to understand that and live everyday with a healthy apopreciation for what we have ... good post!!!
More often than not, It is hard to emapthise. If there is anything to this post it is the fact that it undermines the abruptness of fatality and all that goes with it. Your words really speak!
very well written indeed :)...
u shud watch the movie "yun hota toh kya hota"...i loved it
gr8 piece of writing!!!!
too good....
Hmmmn...Very Nice.
-Krishna.
Very distinct style...how our normal life...with its share of hopes, aspirations, apprehensions comes crashing down without ny warning!!!...Live every moment..thats the way to leave this world without regrets!!
Nicely written man !!
-Hemant
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