BLACK ROBBERS - True Story

**enctpc** · September 22nd, 2006, 08:40 PM

By far the best email I've read so far.... For anyone who didn't see David Letterman's take on this: (And it's a true story...) On a recent Weekend in Atlantic City, a woman won a bucketful of quarters at a slotmachine.

She took a break from the slots for dinner with her husband in the hotelDining room. But first she wanted to stash the quarters in her room."I'll be right back and we'll go to eat," she told her husband andcarried the coin-laden bucket to the elevator.

As she was about to walk into the elevator she noticed two men alreadyaboard. Both were black. One of them was tall...very tall...anintimidating figure. The woman froze. Her first thought was: These twoare going to rob me. Her next thought was: Don't be a bigot, they looklike perfectly nice gentlemen, but racial stereotypes are powerful, andfear immobilized her.

She stood and stared at the two men. She felt anxious, flustered andAshamed She hoped they didn't read her mind but, gosh, they had to knowwhat She was thinking!!! Her hesitation about joining them in the elevatorwas All too obvious now.

Her face was flushed. She couldn't just stand there, so with a mightyEffort of will she picked up one foot and stepped forward and followedwith The other foot and was on the elevator.

Avoiding eye contact, she turned around stiffly and faced the elevator Doors as they closed. A second passed, and the another second, and thenanother.

Her fear increased! The elevator didn't move. Panic consumed her.

God, she thought, I'm trapped and about to be robbed! Her heart plummeted.

Perspiration poured from every pore.

Then one of the men said, "Hit the floor." Instinct told her to do whatThey told her. The bucket of quarters flew upwards as she threw out herarms And collapsed on the elevator floor. A shower of coins rained down onher.

Take my money and spare me, she prayed. More seconds passed. She heardOne of the men say politely, "Ma'am, if you'll just tell us what flooryou're going to, we'll push the button." The one who said it had alittle trouble getting the words out. He was trying mightily to hold in a bellylaugh.

The woman lifted her head and looked up at the two men.

They reached down to help her up. Confused, she struggled to her feet.

"When I told my friend here to hit the floor," said the average sized one, I meant that he should hit the elevator button for our floor. I didn't mean for you to hit the floor, ma'am." He spoke genially. He bit hislip. It was obvious he was having a hard time not laughing.

The woman thought: My God, what a spectacle I've made of myself. SheWas too humiliated to speak. She wanted to blurt out an apology, butwords Failed her. How do you apologize to two perfectly respectable gentlemenfor behaving as though they were going to rob you?

She didn't know what to say. The three of them gathered up the strewn quarters and refilled her bucket. When the elevator arrived at her floor they then insisted on walking her to her room. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet, and they were afraid she might not make it down the corridor.

At her door they bid her a good evening. As she slipped into her room She could hear them roaring with laughter as they walked back to the elevator.

The woman brushed herself off. She pulled herself together and went downstairs for dinner with her husband.

The next morning flowers were delivered to her room - a dozen roses.

Attached to EACH rose was a crisp one hundred dollar bill. The card said:

"Thanks for the best laugh we've had in years."

It was signed;

Eddie Murphy

Michael Jordan