Near Death Experience

On my first Friday with Harry, he and Jennifer sent me home with a package that needed to be delivered before I came to work on Monday morning. They gave me the address and instructions to Albert Menin Interior Design in Harlem, only four blocks from my apartment.

First thing Monday morning, I got up and got ready, left my apartment by 930 and walked through what I imagine are what everyone refers to as 'the projects' and arrived at the building. I rang the buzzer for their office and a lady said she would send down the elevator for me. It took about 5 minutes which was way too long since they were only on the 4th floor. A guy in the shop next door even commented about how they were keeping me waiting too long. 

When the elevator finally arrived at ground level, a bald man about 5 inches shorter than me stepped out and reached for the package but I told him I would deliver it myself. He waved me in to the elevator, the kind where it's basically a big shaft with brick walls and you're standing in a cage. Between the 2nd and 3rd floor, the elevator stopped and the guy looked at me, said nothing and shrugged. He started to stumble back against the wall and seemed to lose his balance. He began doing this little cough thing and was foaming at the mouth, stumbling from left to right then falling back against the wall again. He still hadn't said anything even when I asked him a couple of times if he was okay. He started to stumble towards me and for reals, I swear he was going to attack me. I lifted the package up to my chest and stepped back to the wall. He  pulled out a rag and wiped off his mouth and finally seemed to gain his balance. He stepped to the side of the elevator where he could reach up and touch the 3rd floor door and tried to pull himself up to it. He tried for what seemed like forever before he finally just pulled the lever for it to start again and then it began moving. 

When we arrived at the 4th floor, I got out and asked for the office. Some guys pointed to a back corner so I half ran to it and practically threw the package to a woman in there. Told her what it was and where I was from. The elevator guy appeared in the office and the lady started yelling at him for taking so long in the elevator. He tried to talk back but I think he was speaking Russian and obviously didn't know enough English to hold his own with the mean Mexican lady. I asked for the stairs and she pointed me to them. I ran down those stairs so freaking fast and didn't stop even when I got to the street. 

When I got to the office some time later, I told Jennifer and she felt really bad. She told Harry and I think he felt even worse because at the end of the week, we needed another package taken there and Harry said he would take it himself. I told him to tell my creepy elevator friend hello.

That's it. Isn't that crazy?!