The Lift.

 

“Sir, please can I also come in with you” Sarika, our maid asked me when I was about to get into the lift of our building while leaving for office.

 

“Of course, please get in, why do you ask??” I was a bit perplexed by her question and then I realised all the elevators in our building had been erratic for a month, the maintenance was still figuring out the snag.

 

High rises are only as good as their elevators and can leave you high and dry, trapped and stranded in your glass houses when they give away. I realise it every day in some manner when it’s a grueling, snail-paced climb down each time from the 30th floor.

 

Sarika was worried that people getting in from the floors below would object to her presence in the resident's lift when the elevators stop to usher them in.

 

“Sorry M’am, the service lift is not working otherwise I never get in this one” Sarika was explaining herself to Mrs. Joshi’s stern look as she got in from the 20th floor. Her stare hadn’t stopped. She looked repulsed and pulled the end of her dupatta and covered her nose as if the lift just started to stank.

 

The visibly apologetic Sarika was praying that the lift doesn’t stop on any of the floors and save her more such unpleasant gestures, but the lift wasn’t kind to her, it was taking in passengers from every other floor.

 

“Sir, my daughter is waiting down to go to her tuition class, I asked to her come and collect the fees from me, otherwise I always use the service lift, sorry sir” Sarika was now answering to one more admonishing look, this time it was Pragnesh bhai from the 15th floor.

 

I recollected the wife handing over the month’s wages in the morning and she had asked for an advance saying it was for the fees.

 

“Okay Okay, press P2” Pragnesh bhai ordered her to press the parking floor, his new BMW was parked there.

 

As people got in and with only one lift working it got overloaded quickly, the squirming Sarika hurriedly began to step out. 

 

“No Aunty, you stay back, we will take the stairs…. come on, Darsh, just 5 floors left buddy” Advay Gupte, the bright young lad from the building stepped out with his school buddy.

 

“Shit…. didn’t you press P2 properly?” the lift hadn’t stopped at the parking floor and Pragnesh was furious over Sarika.

 

“Pragnesh, don’t shout at her, you should know because of such issues the lifts are under maintenance for over a month now” Mrs. Iyer was quite vocal and didn’t mince her words towards Mr. BMW.

 

Sarika rushed out of the lift to her little young daughter, she was standing there for quite some time.

 

“Mummy, where were you, I am getting late,” said the eagerly looking daughter waiting with her classmate from the 4th standard.

 

“Sorry dear, the service lifts are not working, keep this fee in your bag, be careful with it” 

 

Sarika waved back to her daughter and walked inside the building to stand behind a big line of her colleagues in front of the service lift.