It’s really a movie theater story but let’s focus on the elevator. The man behind the ticket counter took everyone’s money and asked what movie they were here to see. He looked like a mafia guy who ate lots of calamari.
After everyone had paid, he announced to the large group that neither of the escalators was working. They were both roped off and so could not be climbed. And there were no real stairs at all. Everyone was going up, so we turned to our left, where another movie attendant was standing. He had a guilty smile as he pointed to an elevator. He was most likely related to the ticket fellow.
A lady in the group going to the second floor said, ”I heard the elevator got stuck this morning.”
Another lady, hearing this, reacted suddenly and said, “I don’t want to get stuck in an elevator!” No one responded. She repeated, “I don’t want to get stuck in an elevator, do you; well, do you?”
She happened to be on a date with a peaceful kind of guy who was chuckling at her so loud we could hear it over the screeching elevator car. The elevator door was open and the panic-stricken woman could see it was probably a safe ride up, and she really wanted to see this movie, THE DARKEST HOUR. Someone else in the group was saying they fixed the elevator. Her date was smiling at her and she felt better so she joined him.
She stood close to her date and felt his hand on hers. They made it to the grand hallway of the second floor. When they got to their seats inside the dim theater, they chose to sit in the lounge chairs. Then the woman’s seat got stuck. She had to recline during the entire film.
She was glad to be safely out of that movie theater, with her stiff neck. It was stiff for three days.