Jacob dashed out of his office at 4 PM and leaped inside the elevator as it stopped on the ninth floor. He nearly startled a young man like him standing inside the elevator. “Sorry, I’m in a bit of a rush,” he quickly apologized. The polite stranger smiled and replied, “Getting excited won’t speed up this lift.” As they glided down, the man, who introduced himself as Mark—a sales manager for an electronics firm—asked, “Where are you off to in such a hurry? I hope everything’s alright.” They were still only halfway down as the elevator moved sluggishly to the sixth floor.
“I didn’t mean to pry,” Mark added, explaining he was there for a client meeting. Jacob shared, “I need to catch the 4:20 local to be on time for my sister’s first dance performance at the Clarendon Auditorium.” But before he could finish, the elevator unexpectedly jolted to a halt. “Looks like there’s an electricity issue. Some guys were tinkering with the backup system when I came in around noon. I heard it’s been slow ever since,” Mark informed.
Jacob fished out his phone anxiously, only to find the battery dead. Mark’s watch, glowing in the dim light, read 4:10. “I’ve still got ten minutes to catch the train, but only if this wretched lift starts moving! Generally, it is designed so that it halts at the next level whenever there is an electricity issue, but I see this lift is stuck. Every second is valuable,” he grumbled, trying to press all sorts of buttons inside the lift, but to no avail. He screamed, “Is someone aware that the lift has stopped?”
“Someone may be working towards resuming the lift service. No need to fret; I’m headed towards South Wharf, I can give you a ride,” Mark offered.
“Thanks. This could be a silver lining to my otherwise chaotic day,” Jacob gave a sigh of relief. Mark put his thumps up as the elevator slowly resumed its descent.
Jacob reflected on how the day had unfolded. He couldn’t take the day off for his sister’s performance due to a crucial presentation at work. A flat tire had forced him to take a taxi instead of his bike, so riding back to the auditorium on his own bike was ruled out.
“You had promised you would be there on time. You have to stick to your words.” Jenny had stated adamantly.
“The presentation should wrap up by 4 PM. I’ll catch the 4:20 local and see you on stage,” Jacob had assured his sister.
As Mark’s car pulled up at the venue, Jacob was taken aback to see his parents and sister rushing toward him, tears streaming down their faces. “You didn’t take the 4:20 local?” they cried out in unison. “The train had a terrible accident after it crossed the station next to the one you were going to board. Many people were hurt,” his mother murmured, gently stroking his cheek.
“We couldn’t reach you by phone. Jane and Abigail have gone to the station. Thank God you’re safe.” His father’s emotions spilled over, and Jenny clothed in her performance attire, wrapped her arms around him, ignoring her makeup.
Jacob felt immense gratitude for Mark, who had been a stranger just an hour ago but had come through when he needed it most.