An asian woman, mid- or post-college, was already on when I boarded, and going to the same level I was. A few floors down, an older man got on. One more floor down — again, this is why I don’t take the elevator if I can help it — a woman got on. She looked at the older man and said, “third time’s a charm.” She must have been waiting for the elevator like I had: lunging at the cars that arrive, only to find out they’re going up instead of down. We must have been elevator number three to arrive.

“I’m really tired,” she said. She spoke slowly, as if she had to think about each word. “I’m glad it’s time to go home.” The man nodded, but focused on the door.

Another floor down, on the red-walled meeting floor, another woman stepped on. She dressed well, a power suit and short hair, a woman that was likely a good ways up in a company somewhere in the city. She thanked us for holding the doors. And then she spotted the other woman.

“How are you today?” She asked the other woman. I stood behind her, but I could hear her smile. It was warm, the kind of smile one has when they see someone familiar.

The other woman stared at the business woman, as if she had just been insulted, as if the business woman had just spit on her. The business woman laughed.

“We ride the same bus sometimes,” the business woman said.

The other woman continued to stare. “I don’t think we do.”

The business woman laughed, an auditory shrug. “OK.”

“I’m really tired and I don’t want to talk to any one right now.” The other woman said.

The elevator chimed, and the doors opened to my desitnation. The asian woman and I stepped off, and as we did, I could see her smiling out of the corner of my eye. She laughed, and, unable to hold back any longer, I did too.

“That was awesome,” I said.

“She was totally talking to that guy before,” the asian woman said.

“I know! Amazing!”

We laughed for another moment, and then the asian woman turned into the mixing chamber, the cavernous main floor of the library, and went to meet a friend of hers. I left the library, and headed home. I wonder if the business woman and the other woman shared the same bus. I wonder with the other woman would say to her then.

[g]