Aug 25, 2008 20:00
On the way home from work earlier, I was waiting for the lift at the ground floor lobby with two other neighbours. With the ongoing lift upgrading programme to install lift landings on every floor, only one of the pair was in operation, and thus, you see neighbours you didn't use to, since the lifts only stopped at selected alternate floors previously.
When the lift door opened, we stayed back to allow the occupants to exit, but it looked empty so we proceeded to file into the cabin, only to find an old man standing quietly in a corner. We stood to a side, making space and waiting for him to walk out, but he remained immobile and oblivious to our curious looks.
One of us spread her hands in a elaborate gesture as in to show the guest to his place, but still he remained unreceptive. She then pointed to the door and amazingly, the man pointed down towards the ground. As I was still plugged into my Giulini Chicago Brahms Symphony No 4, I then realised that there was a communication problem as the domestic helper was trying her best to let the uncle know that we were on the ground floor.
I played my part as translator and the uncle then realised the joke and shuffled out, leaving us to smile noddingly at one another. For it being the Seventh Month and all, luckily this transpired during the day or it might have taken a turn for the worse, in the vein of B-grade ghost films...