I glanced down at the screen in my car which currently displayed the map and directions for my trip. I hated driving downtown, but I needed to leave straight from my meeting to another appointment in East County, so it made more sense to take my own car.
I took a deep breath as I turned onto the street the GPS had directed me towards, knowing that I would need to circle the surrounding blocks a few times to find a parking space. That, along with trying to avoid people on bikes and scooters and in crosswalks, was the main reason I tried to avoid this part of town. But as I pulled down the street, I noticed a car pulling out from a spot directly in front of a building just as the directions in my car notified me that I had arrived at my destination.
Another part of driving and parking downtown that I hated was attempting to parallel park, especially on the opposite side of the road, as many streets were one-way. But this spot was large enough that I could pull straight in, and I checked the time on the car screen before shutting off the car to find that I was still ten minutes early.
Perfect.
I glanced outside through the droplets of rain that still sat on my windows, but noticed that the rain itself had ceased, so I wouldn’t need to sprint across the sidewalk to avoid the rain.
I stepped inside the building and walked up to the elevator doors, then pressed the button to call them to the lobby. Even with ten minutes to spare, I knew how many floors some of these buildings had, and who knew if someone on the tenth was holding it open for one reason or another.
Before I could finish this thought, a bell chimed overhead, and the elevator doors opened in front of me. I stepped aside in case anyone needed to step out (I always hated trying to fight my way out of an elevator – don’t people understand that no one can get out if they crowd the door?) but the elevator was empty. I stepped straight in and pressed the button for my floor, then clasped my hands and waited.
Eight minutes, I thought, checking my watch. I took a breath, then located the ‘Door Open’ button on the panel. I’ve been in more than one elevator when someone is running for the doors just as they begin to close, and I have to locate my ‘I’m so sorry’ face, which is generally easier to find than the button that would hold the door.
Thankfully, the doors closed without incident, and I waited in the peaceful low tones of chamber music as the elevator slowly climbed.
My meeting was on the top floor of this twenty-story building, which meant there were 19 opportunities for people to hop on between the lobby and where I needed to go.
Seven minutes seems enough time, I thought. Unless a group of people are also headed up, and one of them is late so they’re holding the door. Or if the other elevator in this pair of two isn’t functioning and there are people waiting on every floor to get to the top.
But the numbers above the elevator doors illuminated one at a time until they reached the top without stopping once, and I stepped onto the twentieth floor with still seven minutes to spare before my meeting. I only hoped it wasn’t running late, or I would miss my later appointment.
“Can I help you?” A young male administrator sat behind the desk just outside the elevators, his smile wide and welcoming.
“Yes, I’m here for the one o’clock meeting.”
“You’re here at the perfect time. They are just wrapping up and should start right at one. Can I get you a glass of water while you wait?”
“That would be just fine,” I said, then settled down in a comfortable chair just outside the elevators as their doors slid shut and the car descended to find its next occupant.