On The Twenty Ninth Floor..by Michael

The cleaning lady was responsible for two floors in an office building on her shift. It was after work hours of course as dusting, emptying small pails of garbage, and a few other chores were part of her nightly routine during the week. It was the two executive floors which was twenty nine and thirty. Her habit was to start on the top, then work her down. This time however her instinct had her begin on the twenty ninth floor. It was November and she felt a cold draft coming from a possible left open window. Not a normal nightly occurrence that had ever happened before. A senior vice president was sitting outside on the narrow cold ledge. She knew that this was a man about to commit suicide. His recent divorce was what drove him to this desperate act of taking his own life. "I've seen an empty cup of coffee on your desk every night with two packets of sugar that was torn open next to it. I can fix you one last cup which will give you the energy to jump" she softly whispered from behind him. This unexpected interruption and off the wall comment by her made him laugh out loud. He turned around and thanked her with a few tears in his eyes. She smiled back at him and then slowly extended her hand. His reached out to hers as she pulled him back into the office. As promised his coffee was made with two sugars and a long two hour pouring out of his feelings was shared with her. She no longer works as a nightly cleaning lady, but instead is now the wife of a no longer depressed senior vice president. A change in the normal routine of which floor comes first, was the fork in the road which changed the lives of these two people. Case in point between the cleaning lady and the executive on the twenty ninth floor...

Reviews

[Alex]

This is a great story Michael, such a wicked idea, especially loved how you portrayed the coffee with two sugars. I think that it should be longer as the ending felt abit rushed! You're a great writer- I want to read on! Well done :)

[Michael Reisman]

This is such a beautiful compliment that it made me cry at your lovely response. I am very touched by it. Bless you! Please see my 18 books of short stories on my web site www.michaelreisman.net