Barbara from the 7th floor

I met Barbara in the elevator today. It’s rare that I ride the elevator with anyone in the building, so I like to take that opportunity to meet people.

I almost jumped when the elevator door slid open and I saw her standing there, pushing the “door close” button as fast as she could. She was layered in so much clothing; I could only see her mouth and chin. “You look very warm” was the first thing I said as I squeezed in next to her.

Warm was an understatement; I swear, this woman had more animal skin on her than her own. She was arrayed in fancy leather gloves with fur lining, a very large, pale blue mink wrap swaddled around her entire upper body, but, the best part was her hat. It looked more like a lamp shade made from a skinned fox. It shielded her entire head like a football helmet, leaving only her mouth vulnerable to the outside world.

“I’m Julia” I managed, after slightly getting over the shock of her massive, furry presence.

Her mouth looked at me with a slight twinge of acknowledgement.

“What’s your name?” I tried again, attempting to fill the thick silence as the lit-up numbers slowly decreased.

“Barbara” the mouth spoke magniloquently.

“Nice to meet you.”

Ding. First floor.

“After you,” I gestured out the door with my hand.

Barbara’s fox hat tipped back towards me, as she swiftly shuffled through the door. I followed her as she marched past the doorman and out of the building, all that fur flittering in the wind.

I stopped briefly to examine my own attire- a thin black pea coat and miss-matching brown gloves.

Smiling to myself, I continued on my way.