The Day I got stuck in an Elevator with a Pregnant Woman

Have you ever been stuck in an elevator with a heavily pregnant woman?

Hmmm… you can’t imagine it.

Come closer, let me gist you.

I had an appointment with a client on the 8th floor of one of these Lagos high-rise buildings. From my arrival at the building to the end of the meeting, it was so smooth that I almost declared that day one of the best days of my life…

Until it was time to leave.

I made my way to the lift, pressed the button, and awaited its arrival.

Seconds later, it did.

In this rather cramped lift was a heavily pregnant woman.

I bowed courtly, acknowledging her like the well-trained child that I was. She pretended not to notice and kept a straight face. I didn't bother. Besides, I was too happy to be bothered. I pushed the 'GF' button and watched as the door gradually closed.

Not long after, there was a sudden quake that threw us off balance for a couple of seconds. And it became still.

I noticed the lady didn't recover from the shock. She struggled to raise herself, holding her lower abdomen. I tried not to show serious concern until she made a sharp sound.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She disregarded my concern and exhaled sharply, attempting to manage the pain.

I took out my phone and I saw that there was no network. I imagined all sorts of things. Crazy stuff.

'God forbid', I mumbled to myself.

She made another sharp sound. This time, it came out like a cry. "Madam, are you okay…?" I asked again, this time with a more demanding tone.

"Don't ask me stupid questions. Does it look like I'm having fun here?"

I apologized and drew nearer to her. "How can I help?"

She pointed to her bag, now on the floor. "Get me my phone."

I rushed to the bag and searched for her phone. As I was about to pass the phone to her, I saw that the area where she stood was wet. And slowly, I traced it to her dripping legs.

I didn't know how long I remained fixed in that spot until she shouted.

"Go on, have a taste."

She snatched the phone from me before I could gently hand it over to her. In her unbalanced position, she impatiently typed as fast as her hand could carry her. Then out of frustration, she threw the phone against the aluminium door and tightened her grip on the adjacent walls, groaning.

She looked at me, her face stoned. "Are you going to stand there and do nothing? The baby is coming!"

I froze. And panicked.

"B--but I'm not a doctor."

"I don't care. Do something." She shouted as she gritted her teeth in pain.

I began to pace aimlessly, silently praying for ideas. I went to the buttons on the elevator walls and desperately scanned through, looking for a way to reach anyone on the outside. I tried the one with a bell on it and pressed it over a hundred times. Nothing happened.

She screamed again. This time, my spine felt her harrowing pain.

I swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and cautiously approached her. I held her shoulder courageously and whispered in her ears…

"You're a strong woman. Hang in there. We'll be out of here soon. I'm sure they're working hard to get us out. God won't let…"

"Who are you? A pastor?" She cut in with the question, her eyes lacing mine. Her strength drained.

"No. I'm a writer."

"I don’t care. I need air."

That was when it occurred that the place was already choky, and we were seriously sweating. I instinctively took off my shirt and started fanning her.

I had not even started when she grabbed the shirt, drawing me nearer to herself.

"I can't hold on any longer," she murmured before collapsing onto the floor and lifting her blouse.

As I crouched beside her, my mind shut down, unable to process the scene unfolding before me. Between her legs, something stirred—a movement both frantic and unrelenting. I stood frozen, staring, lost in the moment.

Like someone in a trance, I heard a distant voice—her voice—screaming, cursing. I knew she was speaking to me, but the words blurred into incoherence. My brain struggled to make sense of what my eyes refused to fully grasp.

Then, she lurched forward and struck me with a forceful slap. I stumbled backwards, lost my balance, and crashed against the door, my head colliding with a dull thud.

My vision blurred. For a moment, I saw… someone—perhaps my great-grandfather? The impact was unreal, almost otherworldly. That slap wasn’t just a slap, it felt like I had been hit by a cyborg.

I accepted the undeniable truth—I was being a coward.

Nothing I had learned or read had prepared me for this moment.

"You are not fit to be called a man," she muttered.

The words cut deep. I felt them settle in my chest, heavy and unshakable. Slowly, I got up, wiped the sweat trickling into my eyes, and swallowed hard.

"I agree," I said.

After a moment of hesitation, I knelt, determined to prove that I could follow through on my resolve. But the instant I reached out my hands, a sudden, unexplainable fear seized me.

A tremor rippled through my fingers, spreading like a slow, relentless wave. I tried to steady them, to will the shaking away, but no effort could silence the uncontrollable trembling.

"I can't do this," I whispered.

I felt a deep pity for myself.

I looked at her, writhing in pain, completely indifferent to my presence. She had likely given up on me. And in that moment, I realized my emotions had failed me.

But she wasn’t the only one struggling to survive. After all, I am someone's child too.

I wished the elevator would jolt back to life. Desperation clawed at me as I rushed to the door, pounding on it with all my strength hoping someone, anyone, would realize there were people trapped inside.

Behind me, the woman sobbed, her cries turning into agonized screams. Again. And again. Her breathing grew erratically loud, uneven, almost unnatural.

Then, she passed out.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Panicked, I rushed over and shook her violently, but she remained still as if frozen. Desperate, I grabbed my shirt and fanned her, tears streaming down my face.

"Madam, please, I beg you. Wake up," I cried out, my voice breaking.

After several failed attempts, I collapsed to my knees, my face falling between her legs as I braced myself to try once more.

That was when the door opened.