ShiningIce
3rd Level Green Feather
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2002
- Messages
- 4,703
- Points
- 36
On a recent weekend in Atlantic City, a woman won a bucketful of
> quarters
> > at
> > a slot machine.
> >
> > She took a break from the slots for dinner with her husband in the
> hotel
> di
> > ning room. But first she wanted to stash the quarters in her room.
> "I'll
> be
> > right back and we'll go to eat,"she told her husband and carried the
> > coin-laden bucket to the elevator. As she was about to walk into the
> > elevator
> > she noticed two men already board. Both were black.
> >
> > One of them was tall...very tall...an intimidating figure. The woman
> froze.
> > Her first thought was: These two are going to rob me. Her next thought
> was:
> >
> > Don't be a bigot, they look like perfectly nice gentlemen. But racial
> > stereotypes are powerful, and fear immobilized her. She stood and
> stared
> > at
> > the two men. Her mind was racing, but Gosh, they had to know what she
> was
> > thinking!!! Her hesitation about joining them in the elevator was all
> too
> > obvious now. Her face was flushed. She couldn't just stand there, so
> with
> > a
> > mighty effort of will she picked up one foot and stepped forward and
> > followed
> > with the other foot and was on the elevator. Avoiding eye contact, she
> > turned
> > around stiffly and faced the elevator doors as they closed. A second
> > passed,
> > and the another second, and then another. Her fear increased! The
> elevator
> > didn't move. Panic consume her. My God, she thought, I'm trapped and
> about
> > to
> > be robbed! Her heart plummeted. Perspiration poured from every pore.
> Then
> > one
> > of the men said, "Hit the floor."
> >
> > Her instincts told her what to do and the bucket flew upwards as she
> threw
> > out her arms and collapsed on the elevator floor. A shower of coins
> rained
> > down on her. Take my money and spare me, she prayed. More seconds
> passed.
> > She
> > heard one of the men say politely, "Ma'am, if you'll just tell us what
> > floor
> > you're going to, we'll push the button."
> >
> > The one who said it had a little trouble getting the words out. He was
> > trying mightily to hold in a belly laugh. The woman lifted her head and
> > looked up at the two men. They reached down to help her up. Confused,
> she
> > struggled to her feet.
> >
> > "When I told my friend here to hit the floor," said the average sized
> one,
> > "I meant that he should hit the elevator button for our floor. I didn't
> > mean
> > for you to hit the floor, ma'am." He spoke genially. He bit his lip. It
> was
> > obvious he was having a hard time not
> > laughing. The woman thought: My God, what a spectacle I've made of
> myself.
> >
> > She was humiliated to speak. She wanted to blurt out an apology, but
> words
> > failed her. How do you apologize to two perfectly respectable gentlemen
> for
> > behaving as though they were going to rob you? She didn't know what to
> > say.
> > The three of them gathered up the strewn quarters and refilled her
> bucket.
> >
> > When the elevator arrived at her floor they then insisted on walking
> her
> to
> > her room. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet, and they were
> afraid
> > she
> > might not make it down the corridor.
> >
> > At her door they bid her a good evening. As she slipped into her room
> she
> > could hear them roaring with laughter as they walked back to the
> elevator.
> > The woman brushed herself off. She pulled herself together and went
> > downstairs for dinner with her husband.
> >
> > The next morning flowers were delivered to her room - a dozen roses.
> > Attached to EACH rose was a crisp one hundred dollar bill.
> >
> > The card said:
> > "Thanks for the best laugh we've had in years."
> >
> > It was signed:
> > Eddie Murphy
> > Michael Jordan
> >
> >
> >
> >
> quarters
> > at
> > a slot machine.
> >
> > She took a break from the slots for dinner with her husband in the
> hotel
> di
> > ning room. But first she wanted to stash the quarters in her room.
> "I'll
> be
> > right back and we'll go to eat,"she told her husband and carried the
> > coin-laden bucket to the elevator. As she was about to walk into the
> > elevator
> > she noticed two men already board. Both were black.
> >
> > One of them was tall...very tall...an intimidating figure. The woman
> froze.
> > Her first thought was: These two are going to rob me. Her next thought
> was:
> >
> > Don't be a bigot, they look like perfectly nice gentlemen. But racial
> > stereotypes are powerful, and fear immobilized her. She stood and
> stared
> > at
> > the two men. Her mind was racing, but Gosh, they had to know what she
> was
> > thinking!!! Her hesitation about joining them in the elevator was all
> too
> > obvious now. Her face was flushed. She couldn't just stand there, so
> with
> > a
> > mighty effort of will she picked up one foot and stepped forward and
> > followed
> > with the other foot and was on the elevator. Avoiding eye contact, she
> > turned
> > around stiffly and faced the elevator doors as they closed. A second
> > passed,
> > and the another second, and then another. Her fear increased! The
> elevator
> > didn't move. Panic consume her. My God, she thought, I'm trapped and
> about
> > to
> > be robbed! Her heart plummeted. Perspiration poured from every pore.
> Then
> > one
> > of the men said, "Hit the floor."
> >
> > Her instincts told her what to do and the bucket flew upwards as she
> threw
> > out her arms and collapsed on the elevator floor. A shower of coins
> rained
> > down on her. Take my money and spare me, she prayed. More seconds
> passed.
> > She
> > heard one of the men say politely, "Ma'am, if you'll just tell us what
> > floor
> > you're going to, we'll push the button."
> >
> > The one who said it had a little trouble getting the words out. He was
> > trying mightily to hold in a belly laugh. The woman lifted her head and
> > looked up at the two men. They reached down to help her up. Confused,
> she
> > struggled to her feet.
> >
> > "When I told my friend here to hit the floor," said the average sized
> one,
> > "I meant that he should hit the elevator button for our floor. I didn't
> > mean
> > for you to hit the floor, ma'am." He spoke genially. He bit his lip. It
> was
> > obvious he was having a hard time not
> > laughing. The woman thought: My God, what a spectacle I've made of
> myself.
> >
> > She was humiliated to speak. She wanted to blurt out an apology, but
> words
> > failed her. How do you apologize to two perfectly respectable gentlemen
> for
> > behaving as though they were going to rob you? She didn't know what to
> > say.
> > The three of them gathered up the strewn quarters and refilled her
> bucket.
> >
> > When the elevator arrived at her floor they then insisted on walking
> her
> to
> > her room. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet, and they were
> afraid
> > she
> > might not make it down the corridor.
> >
> > At her door they bid her a good evening. As she slipped into her room
> she
> > could hear them roaring with laughter as they walked back to the
> elevator.
> > The woman brushed herself off. She pulled herself together and went
> > downstairs for dinner with her husband.
> >
> > The next morning flowers were delivered to her room - a dozen roses.
> > Attached to EACH rose was a crisp one hundred dollar bill.
> >
> > The card said:
> > "Thanks for the best laugh we've had in years."
> >
> > It was signed:
> > Eddie Murphy
> > Michael Jordan
> >
> >
> >
> >
