elevators are scary places...

when you get stuck in them! Yesterday morning on my way to work, I got on the elevator just like I always do. We stopped on 5 to let someone off and then - BAM! a huge bump - much larger than the normal jolt that you sometimes feel on an elevator. And then NOTHING happened. We didn't move. No numbers would light up. Luckily for me, I was crammed in with about 6 other people - one girl with a hot cup of coffee that was sending off scorching steam into the elevator with no air conditioning that was already about 115 degrees. It was like one of my worst nightmares realized. And then the approximately 86 year old lady with a bandana on her head was shouting out orders of what everyone should do - press the alarm button. use the phone. press the intercom button and tell them we're stuck. Then the other slightly older little Asian lady (still in her pajamas and robe, might I add) - we'll say 50 years old, just to be generous - started yelling into the intercom "We're stuuuuuuuck! We're stuuuuck in the elevator!!!" and ringing the alarm bell for about 1 minute intervals each. Then - she spotted that I had my cell phone with me. CALL THE FRONT DESK AND TELL THEM WE'RE STUCK! So, luckily she has the front desk number memorized by heart, and spouted it off to me. I called and told them we were stuck on the elevator and they said they already knew and Jose was on his way up - thank you, Jose. Then little Asian lady remembered that I hadn't told them we were stuck at the 5th floor, so she made me call them back. This time they were slightly frantic - "We know you're stuck on the elevator! We have sent Jose up there! REMAIN CALM! JUST TRY TO REMAIN CALM!!" So, we continue to wait and debate on what we should do when we hear a large bang on the door of the elevator. This sets the old ladies into a tailspin. "Everyone back up!!! Back away from the door!" And then they started banging on the door and yelling "We're in here! Help!" I felt like a sledgehammer was about to come busting through the elevator door and take us all down - luckily, it was just Jose. Somehow they pried open the elevator door, after almost 15 minutes of scorching torture, and we all climbed out of the elevator that had descended about two feet on it's initial drop before it quit. Dripping with sweat, we were all hoisted out of the elevator by Jose and a few other kind workers. Oh, what gems. Thank you for getting me out!