| Biographical Non-Fiction posted November 2, 2021 |
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A pre-9/11 matter of urgency
Trapped in Downtown NYC Building
by Mary Kay Bonfante
I was an office temp, working overnight in downtown Manhattan. Someone showed me to my desk and assigned me work. I didn't expect to be left alone.
When finished, I became confused about the exit procedure. I called my company-paid car and went to the elevator, which failed to come. I was afraid to walk down eleven empty flights of fire stairs. I dialed 911 from the wall. The security guard appeared in the elevator, looking chagrined.
As I rode the car service away, a fire engine appeared, siren blaring, to save the person no longer trapped on the twelfth floor.
True Story Flash contest entry
I was an office temp, working overnight in downtown Manhattan. Someone showed me to my desk and assigned me work. I didn't expect to be left alone.
When finished, I became confused about the exit procedure. I called my company-paid car and went to the elevator, which failed to come. I was afraid to walk down eleven empty flights of fire stairs. I dialed 911 from the wall. The security guard appeared in the elevator, looking chagrined.
As I rode the car service away, a fire engine appeared, siren blaring, to save the person no longer trapped on the twelfth floor.
 Recognized |
#31 November 2021 |
While my story stands on its own, I am providing more details for bsckground, and for anyone who is interested or has questions.
The "flash nonfiction" above really just summarizes the frightening situation I found myself in, at about 3:30 AM, as the sole office worker at the company I had been hired to work for, for the first time. They had truly been negligent, to leave me there alone at night, with the briefest instructions for egress, and no further supervision.
What I didn't realize was that when I exited the doors to the elevator bank, (1) I wouldn't be able to get back in; and (2) the elevators shut down, after a certain hour (whatever time that was). This left the fire doors as my only exit, and not only did my imagination run wild as to what awaited me in that deserted stairwell, in the heart of the brokerage capital of the world, but I didn't even know if the lights and exit doors at the bottom were functioning, in the wee hours of the morning (most likely they were, but I wasn't going to bet my life on it, only to find some homicidal vagrant passed out at the bottom).
I did have a cellphone, but unfortunately the battery died, just when I needed it. I didn't know how to contact anyone internally from the wall phone (in case there was someone on another floor, or even the building security), but when I tried 911, that worked. Praise the Lord!
This was after the bombing incident of 1993 in the Twin Towers, and not too far away from it, in proximity; but it preceded the 9/11 attacks by at least a year or two. Being trapped in a large office building is no joke. When I think about it, the firehouse which responded to my call for help is probably one of the first which responded to the disaster on 9/11, and most of those same brave souls most likely perished on that fateful and terrible day.
The morning after the incident described above, I was contacted by my temporary agency. Rather than being concerned for my safety and sorry for what I had experienced, they were upset because of what it meant for their client: a violation of fire regulations, and a fine for having a trapped office worker needing to call for help. I really don't know how many rules this company breached, by their careless mismanagement of my situation. I'm sure I should have paid closer attention to their instructions, but who ever expects to be trapped at the elevator banks at night?
I was effectively blacklisted from the client, and even the agency. As it turned out, it didn't make a difference, because I was listed with more than one agency simultaneously, and I was soon hired at a permanent job. At the time, I did word processing for a living. I worked at secretarial stations when I had to, but my preference was just to work with documents at word processing centers. I was able to get my permanent job doing exactly that.
I thank God that He provided for my needs, and employed me when I needed it. He also gave me the ability to write this story. He is so good to me.
My thanks to Nimrod Persson for the great photo, from Unsplash.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. The "flash nonfiction" above really just summarizes the frightening situation I found myself in, at about 3:30 AM, as the sole office worker at the company I had been hired to work for, for the first time. They had truly been negligent, to leave me there alone at night, with the briefest instructions for egress, and no further supervision.
What I didn't realize was that when I exited the doors to the elevator bank, (1) I wouldn't be able to get back in; and (2) the elevators shut down, after a certain hour (whatever time that was). This left the fire doors as my only exit, and not only did my imagination run wild as to what awaited me in that deserted stairwell, in the heart of the brokerage capital of the world, but I didn't even know if the lights and exit doors at the bottom were functioning, in the wee hours of the morning (most likely they were, but I wasn't going to bet my life on it, only to find some homicidal vagrant passed out at the bottom).
I did have a cellphone, but unfortunately the battery died, just when I needed it. I didn't know how to contact anyone internally from the wall phone (in case there was someone on another floor, or even the building security), but when I tried 911, that worked. Praise the Lord!
This was after the bombing incident of 1993 in the Twin Towers, and not too far away from it, in proximity; but it preceded the 9/11 attacks by at least a year or two. Being trapped in a large office building is no joke. When I think about it, the firehouse which responded to my call for help is probably one of the first which responded to the disaster on 9/11, and most of those same brave souls most likely perished on that fateful and terrible day.
The morning after the incident described above, I was contacted by my temporary agency. Rather than being concerned for my safety and sorry for what I had experienced, they were upset because of what it meant for their client: a violation of fire regulations, and a fine for having a trapped office worker needing to call for help. I really don't know how many rules this company breached, by their careless mismanagement of my situation. I'm sure I should have paid closer attention to their instructions, but who ever expects to be trapped at the elevator banks at night?
I was effectively blacklisted from the client, and even the agency. As it turned out, it didn't make a difference, because I was listed with more than one agency simultaneously, and I was soon hired at a permanent job. At the time, I did word processing for a living. I worked at secretarial stations when I had to, but my preference was just to work with documents at word processing centers. I was able to get my permanent job doing exactly that.
I thank God that He provided for my needs, and employed me when I needed it. He also gave me the ability to write this story. He is so good to me.
My thanks to Nimrod Persson for the great photo, from Unsplash.
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