A brief conversation with the guy in the elevator

I step into the elevator on the ground floor of my apartment building. There’s a bohemian-looking guy huddled in the back corner. He’d made himself comfortable for the ride. I press the button labeled “15”. No other buttons are lit.

I’m intrigued. I do a “sup” nod to break the ice. He nods back calmly. That made me feel welcomed in his temporary home.

“Long day?” I ask, the tone underlying the real question — how long have you been here?

He nodded, then glanced at the current floor screen: 5… 6…

I got a little more direct. “You going up, or?”

“Always.” he answered, obviously philosophical. Clearly this was a profound man, rebelling against life’s setbacks.

8…

“What will you do when you get to the top?” I challenged him.

He looked down, then straight at me. “I’ll just have to start from the bottom, again.”

I frowned, mouth ajar, shocked. Perhaps this guy was a thousand years old. Perhaps he’s intimately familiar with the cycles of creation and destruction of the universe.

11…

“The bottom provides new opportunities, doesn’t it?” My feeble attempt to match this dude’s wisdom.

“Not if you’re not willing to walk into the elevator to ride up again.” he declared confidently. At this moment, I decided this dude was the second coming of Jesus.

“I want to ride up, too!” I replied quickly, a little too excited.

“To the top?” he asked, smiling.

“The very top!” I replied enthusiastically.

“You can get there, my fellow rider. For fifty bucks. A special price for those who are ready to ride high.” He revealed a small plastic bag from his hoodie. White powder.

The elevator stopped, the number 15 shinning on the black screen above the floor buttons. A “ding” celebrated the opening of the doors. The guy still smiling, his arm extended towards me, holding the little transparent baggy.

I stepped out of the elevator, angry. In a fit, I turned and yelled, “Dammit Jesus!”

The elevator doors started to close. He slipped the baggy back into his hoodie, smiling. He cozied up on the corner, prepared to start from the bottom, again.