I’m going to tell you the story of something that happened to me over the summer. A few weeks ago (has it really been weeks already?) the great wandering path of life took me to conduct some business in a very tall building in the city. I won’t bore you with the details, but I was feeling pretty rotten at the time. I had also banged up my knee earlier, and was walking around with a distinct limp. You know how sometimes you just get into a funk? I was in a rotten funk.

I hobbled into the elevator, accidentally making eye contact with the two young people inside. I pressed my appropriate floor button and noticed that the occupants hadn’t yet made their selection.

“Uh. Do you guys have a floor?” I asked, politely.

They smiled at me, teeth big. The boy had braces, each tooth a different color.

“No actually!” He said. “We just like hanging out in here.”

“For fun,” the girl added. I noticed her foot resting on top of his. They were wearing matching shoes.

“Are you like… allowed to do that?” I asked.

“Oh sure,” she said. “Nobody minds us.”

“When someone comes in, we like to tell jokes and see if they laugh.”

“If they laugh, we win!”

I turned around and looked at them. “Can I hear one then?”

“Sure! What did the pirate say when he turned 80?”

“Um.. What?”

“Aye Matey!!”

I looked at them. “I don’t get it.”

“It’s like I’m eighty? I’m eighty!”

“Oh- HA!” I started laughing obscenely and so did they. We were all still laughing when the doors opened. I hesitated to exit.

“So you guys just hang out here all day?”

“Well not all day. Sometimes we get hungry.”

“There’s a sandwich shop across the street we like.” They shared a fond, glowing look.

“You know, most strangers don’t talk to each other in elevators.” I said.

“Oh we know! That’s kind of why we’re here actually.” They looked at each other. “It’s upsetting how nobody really talks to each other. There are so many interesting, beautiful people in the world, and no one really gives a shit. This is our fight against loneliness and isolation. Plus it’s fun!”

“Everyone gets so caught up in their junk that they forget what’s really important!”

“And what’s really important?” I asked.

“I think you already know, boss.”

The rest of my day went very well. My limp started feeling better, and I stopped in a bookstore and bought a new book. These days I’m still too shy to talk to strangers in elevators, but I think it’s nice to know that someone is out there, bringing people together for a few moments and making them laugh.

Jack Swain is conducting interviews for his column. If you are interested, please contact [email protected] Also think about calling your mom because she would probably like to hear from you! But only if you are in the mood. You have to be in the mood for that sort of thing.