No Rewrites (2007)
“Everything is a damn challenge.” I was trying to break the moment of awkward silence in the elevator, but I realized just after saying it that it might not have been appropriate to curse in front of a complete stranger.
A short story by Daniel Verastiqui
© Daniel Verastiqui. All Rights Reserved.
“Everything is a damn challenge.”
I was trying to break the moment of awkward silence in the elevator, but I realized just after saying it that it might not have been appropriate to curse in front of a complete stranger. Luckily, the woman just smiled as if she hadn’t really heard me. It appeared she was having enough trouble just managing her things, which consisted of a cup of coffee, two large boxes of donuts, and a plastic bag full of what I guessed were coffee and donut accessories. I think I stared a little too hard.
“I feel like a bag lady,” she said. “Why can’t I just carry everything like a normal person?”
It was my turn to smile and I beamed all sorts of friendly back at her. I was still kind of amused at her earlier predicament. She had been wrestling with her bags and trying to work the access card reader for the elevator when my friend Marianne and I happened upon her. It turned out that her card wouldn’t work, so I had to find a security guard to swipe her in. Hence the challenge comment.