An Elevator Story
He found himself dashing across the hotel lobby, his toolbox banging against one leg, as he raced to make the elevator before it closed. He had to stick his arm in to keep it from closing, and he managed to slide in, with a sigh of relief. It only took a few seconds for Rich to realize that he was not alone in the elevator. He looked behind him and noticed a beautiful, ravishing blonde-haired woman standing against the back wall of the elevator, wearing an expensive business outfit, holding a leather tote-bag in front of her. She looked extremely young – no more than 21, if even that.
“What are you looking at?” the woman blurted out in a snotty tone, glancing meanly at the man. “Uhh… nothing,” Rich replied, turning his head the other way. What a beautiful woman, he said to himself. But if her initial voice was any indication of her personality, Rich figured, she was not the type of woman to pursue. Never before had someone sounded so conceited. As the elevator began to ascend, something popped up in Rich’s mind. That lady looked familiar to him. Wait a minute! There was a reason she looked familiar to him. In fact, he knew who she was! “You’re Candice Baker!” Rich exclaimed, spinning around and looking at the woman in disbelief. She gave an exasperated look and then shrugged her shoulders. “So?” Rich ripped open his tool box, searching for a piece of paper and a pen. “Wow! This is incredible! Can I have your autograph? Wow! My little brother just loves you!” The blonde took in a deep breath, then spoke in a very demeaning tone. “Look, I DON’T do autographs.”
Rich stopped, looking up at her with a stunned expression. She was much different than what he had previously envisioned her as… To anyone who owned a television, 19-year-old Candice Baker was a superstar. She was the marquee name on OCEAN VIEW, a network program which always ranked high in the weekly television ratings. People knew her as Theresa Manning , the sexy and flirtatious maid of a little motel situated on the California coast. Before she landed this role, Candice had made her mark in the entertainment community as a fashion model. She had two calendars out, plus a workout video and even a commercial for a mascara company. At 19, she literally had the world at her feet. “You don’t do autographs?” the repairman asked, crestfallen. “All I ask for is one… that’s all. My little brother, he has your calendar up on his wall and he watches your show every single week. He just loves you more than any other…” “LOOK,” Candice repeated, now in a firm tone, “I DON’T do autographs for ANYONE. I could care less about your worthless little brother.” Rich gave an expression of confusion and then turned his head quickly, so the famous star could not see his new look of disgust. What a fucking bitch, he said to himself. She could have told him about her “no autograph” rule in a much nicer and more polite way, instead of just being snotty and demeaning him and his brother at the same time.
Candice sighed and ran a brush through her long, perfectly-styled hair, eyeing the man from behind. She hated to be in the same elevator with someone his type. “I’m a million dollar star,” she told herself. “And I have to share an elevator with some lousy repairman. This hotel should have elevators for stars. After all, lots of stars come here.” “You know,” Rich said, breaking the woman’s train of thought. He kept looking straight ahead, not turning to peer back at her. “You must really be a good actress.” “Thanks,” she said, squinting suspiciously at him. “Yeah,” he added. “Your character on TV is so nice and sweet. You on the other hand, in real life, are nothing but a spoiled little brat. No one would really know that unless they met you for real.” “WHAT?” Candice screamed, full of rage and anger. “You can’t talk to me like that!” “Who says?” Rich asked, now turning around to face her. “Me!” she exclaimed, taking a swing and hitting him in the shoulder. Rich, who prided himself on never raising a hand to strike a woman, just stood there and shook his head at her, as she fumed before him. No one had probably ever opposed her like this before, he told himself. This bitch actress probably had people eating out of her hands on a regular basis. Candice reached into her tote-bag and scrambled for her celluar phone. “I’m going to call security on you!” she screamed. “You can’t talk to me that way! I’m Candice Baker, dammit!”
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