The Driver

CHAPTER 5

Coincidentally, we found out with amazement that we had a reservation at the same hotel. We went to the reception together to announce our arrival. Another coincidence was that we were staying on the same floor. We looked at each other and started laughing.

-       It would have been strange to have the same room. I said among the laughter.

-       Then it probably would have been a mistake. I really was not going to share a hotel room with a man.

        We started laughing even louder, so loud that the receptionist had to interrupt us so as not to wake the guests. We finally lower our laugh, picked up our bags, and headed for the elevator. We had the rooms on the ninth floor of the hotel, and we were too tired to use the stairs.

        I always preferred to use the stairs to get my feet moving. Izabela pressed the elevator button to go upstairs, but it seemed to be not working.

        She tried a few more times until the elevator started working and moving on. Suddenly the elevator started to shake, and we were left in the dark.

        It just stopped. Izabela flinched in terror and in an attempt to make light of the phone, she dropped it on the floor.

-       Can you make light with your phone? I cannot find mine.

-       I would love to.

-       Thanks.

-       If I had my phone with me. I think I left it in the car.

-       Are you kidding me?

-       I wish it were just a joke.

-       What are you doing?

-       I am sitting on the floor looking for your phone. Put your hand out.

-       You are going to put my phone in it, okay?

-       No, I took my pants off and I am going to put my p***s in it.

-       Come on, give me the phone.

-       You have a nice smile. You should smile more often.

-       It is dark here. How do you know I have a nice smile?

-       I can see your teeth.

-       Sorry... I am... Can you hold my hand for a minute?

        I did what she asked me to do without asking her anything. Strangely, I stood there and held her hand, shaking her a few times, as if I knew she needed encouragement. It was dark and I wanted to get even closer to her.

        I wanted to take her in my arms and stay there for an eternity. I wanted to smell her perfume and to caress her skin. I wanted to be able to discover every part of her body in the dark. To feel it in my arms.

        I wanted to touch her velvety lips and get lost in her spell. I did not have the courage and I could not risk her not talking to me anymore, especially since I wanted to spend the next three days with her.

-       You can let me go now.

        I was hoping she would not tell me that. I was hoping that maybe she would take the first step and let herself be given to desire. I wanted her to take the initiative to kiss me. I was left just with hope.

-       Sorry. I had a little panic attack.

-       Has it passed?

-       They come suddenly and then they disappear. The more time we spend here, the more likely I am to panic again. Talk to me, that distracts me.

-       Ok.

-       Aaaaaaaaaaaaa!

-       How cute was that. I growled. Izabela started screaming even louder.

-       Why are you doing this? Without answering my question, she gasped and said:

-       Ah, it was so good.

-       You scared the hell out of me.

-       Apology. It is a tactic I am applying to get rid of panic, to howl with all my power.

-       Is that your best tactic?

-       I have got more. One of them is to massage my balls.

-       Pardon?

-       I have balls. It really helps me to calm down.

-       Your balls?

-       They are metal balls for meditation. I roll them in the palm of my hand. It helps me calm down.

        Izabela began frantically searching in her purse.

-       What is all the fuss about? I asked.

-       I am trying to find them. They are somewhere in my purse.

        She could not find them too easily without light. It is known that women carry in their purses a whole arsenal of things and to find something they should scatter them all on the floor.

-       I have some balls that you could play with if you feel the need.

-       You are disgusting! Keep your balls and your need away from me, please.

-       Oh, come on. I did not mean it. Just relax. You are the one who brought up the massage balls. We are stuck in a dark elevator. I was just trying to make a joke.

-       That is where they were!

        She said, finally managing to find her balls. She took a deep breath and began to rotate them in her hand, focusing on the metal sound they made when they touched each other.

-       Jingle. How cute, I said in a sarcastic tone. What exactly are you doing with them?

-       I am spinning them.

-       Does that really help?

-       Yes.

-       After a few minutes, she turned to me.

-       Open your hand.

-       She put the balls in my palm.

-       Keep them separate with the help of the forefinger.

-       When she realized I was using the wrong finger, she said:

-       The index finger, not the middle finger.

-       Oh, better. The middle finger needs to be rested. I am going to need to keep it up in case this elevator does not start faster.

-       You are not taking this seriously. Give them back to me.

        She took them out of my hand. At one point, she laughed. The metal balls slipped out of her hand, rolling on the floor of the elevator.

-       You dropped your balls, I said in a serious tone.

        The serious way I said it made her laugh even louder. I started laughing, too, and officially we were both laughing hysterically.

        Circumstance made us both act like crazy. Eventually, we sat down, leaning back against the elevator walls. There were a few moments of silence. I noticed she was getting nervous again.

-       If you are going to scream like a hyena again, you could at least scream for help. Constructively use that technical.

-       She suddenly got up and started banging on the elevator doors.

-       Help! Help!

-       Her screams were in vain.

-       Ok. You can stop now.

        When she sat next to me again on the floor, she felt another wave of panic. It was very hard to fight these feelings without any visual distractions. She probably never experienced panic in total darkness.

-       Can you hold my hand again?

-       Sure, I said simple, taking her hand tight in mine.

-       Thank you and I apologize for the inconvenience caused by this situation.