It has been a long day at work and Trudi tidies up her desk, shuts down her computer, picks up her bags, and stretches, turning to look out of her 15th floor window to see the city lights spreading out before her.
She stands watching the traffic, not looking forward to the slow journey home, knowing that she has now left it so late its going to take her twice as long to get home. Shrugging her shoulders in resignation, she turns around and walks from her office, switching off the light and looking out of the window once more, then shutting the office door behind her.
She wanders across the hallway and hits the button for the elevator, straightening out her tight cut pinstripe skirt and pulling down the back of her matching jacket, her long wool coat slung over one arm. Looking down, she smiles satisfactorily at the low cut deep purple blouse, her braless cleavage pale and creamy, nestling well. The ping of the bell snaps her back to life and the doors slide silently and slowly open. She steps inside and hits the button to take her down to the lobby and out into the open.
She feels her stomach give a small lurch and her shoulder length deep red hair swing, as the elevator sets off on its downward journey and watches the numbers start falling. She gets into this elevator every day of her life but it always has the same effect.. As the elevator hits the 10th floor she feels it slowing and hears the ping to indicate that it is stopping.
The doors slide open once more and a man gets in. She looks up and smiles at him out of politeness, noticing his dark hair and full lips; perhaps a little too full for her liking. He's a striking man but with a nose just that little too big and eyes just a little too dark. She looks away realising that she has been staring a little too long, at the same time knowing that he is doing the same to her, his dark penetrating eyes appraising her, taking in her dark curly hair and her deep green eyes.
The numbers on the display move down, through 8 and 7 towards 6. Suddenly there is a jolt and the lift stops, almost throwing them both off their feet. As Trudi puts her hand out to steady herself against the side of the elevator, she looks at her companion and frowns, reaching for the internal telephone to alert someone that there is a problem, while he moves across the elevator and starts hitting the buttons in a futile attempt to get it moving again.
Trudi finally gets through to someone and is told that there has been a power failure for 3 blocks but that it is being worked on, to sit tight and power will be back shortly. She puts the telephone back in its box and shuts the small door.
"You may as well forget that -- there is a power outage and we are here until it comes back," she tells her companion.
He looks up with a worried frown
"Oh great, just the end to a perfect day," he says and moves back across the elevator to the other side.
She smiles at him. "Well my day hasn't been perfect either and I didn't want to drive home in this traffic, but this is ridiculous!"
He laughs softly. "I hear you on that one, my name is Richard by the way"
She looks at him and smiles again. "Trudi -- pleased to meet you Richard",
He smiles at her, the smile transforming his face,
"Pleased to meet you too, Trudi, nice name by the way."
"Thank you" she replies and they fall into another uneasy silence.
Lost in their own thoughts, they both sigh at the same time and then are suddenly hit with the giggles. They look at each other and smile, he breaks the ice and starts talking first, asking where she works and how long she has been with the company. She tells him she is in accounts and has been for the last 6 years, but she has not seen him around.
He replies that he has only joined the company in the last 8 months and that he works in the legal department. He says he is enjoying it and likes working for the company.
At that moment the elevator plunges into darkness. Trudi swears under her breath and scrabbles her way across the elevator to pick up the phone again. The voice once again tells her to hang tight and that it should all be ok soon. She tells him that she is not about to go anywhere but will they please pull their fingers out of their butts and do something. She slams the phone back into the hole and apologises to her now invisible companion for her behaviour.
Richard laughs and tells her "that's ok but I wouldn't like to get on the wrong side of you!"
Trudi laughs and replies, "Oh don't worry, my bark is far worse than my bite".
They both laugh and she sighs deeply "I could do with not being in here never mind in the dark. My apartment looks as though a whirlwind has been through it, but I never wanted to clean it anyway."
"Well, when you have finished yours if you want some more practice, you can always come and do mine!" They both laugh again and the conversation continues through home, family and all the other small talk that helps two strangers learn about each other.
Time passes and Trudi thinks how glad she is she went to the bathroom before she left the office. After 2 hours there is still no sign of rescue and it is getting colder. She wraps her coat around her and huddles into the corner of the elevator, sitting on the floor.
Richards' voice breaks the silence that they have again fallen into,
"Are you ok?" he says