A Fateful Elevator Ride

A Fateful Elevator Ride

"So will I see you in August?" Guru politely inquired, breaking the awkward silence as we traveled up skywards in the elevator of the Regent one of Sydney's most premier hotels.

It was my first time in an elevator with Guru alone and one of the first times Guru had really spoken to me. So I kind of mumbled something in the affirmative that I would try and continued waiting dutifully for the elevator to reach Guru's floor. But my mind was racing, thinking that it was a little more complicated than that. You see it was July 7 and I hadn't worked since March. I'd been to New York in April, then on the New Zealand Peace Run, then on the Australian Peace Run, then working on the Sydney Peace Concert, which why Guru was in town. So I really didn't have any money and a ticket to New York cost about $1,500.00.

Somehow Guru had managed to plant the seed of possibility in me and on the drive home to Canberra the next day my determination to get to New York in August grew. It was not the kind of thing where you force yourself to be determined but rather a self sustaining, spontaneous urge.

The next day I looked in the yellow pages under fencing companies, I had done a little fencing in New York. I called ACT Fencing, a company based in the neighboring town of Queanbeyan. Somehow I bypassed the secretary and got the owner, Alan Berry, on the phone. He said, "Yeah, why don cha come in and we'll have a look atcha."

The next morning I fronted up to ACT Fencing and was asked to waited in their reception room. They had a few trade magazines related to their line of work so I immediately began a 15 minute crash course in how to construct a tennis court. Just as I was completing the first page Alan came in and introduced himself.

"So you've done a bit of this in New York have ya?" he inquired.

"Well yes I have, mainly fencing (which was true), clay court construction (well I'd swept one a lot) and some artificial grass courts (well not really)." I confidently replied.

Alan looked me up and down and then pronounced, "Okay then why don cha come in tomorrow and we'll see how ya go."

I couldn't believe my ears, I had a job and it only took about 5 minutes!! New York, all of a sudden got a lot closer.

Over the next month I work very hard at ACT Fencing and on the weekend I was helping my father build two sundecks at our house on the coast for which he was also paying me. So in 5 short weeks I miraculously accumulated enough to go to New York. This was a fabulous trip for me, Guru played tennis with me and asked me to stay longer for a couple of significant events.

I often muse about what would've happen if not for that fateful elevator ride?

Salil (Canberra)