The worst snowstorm of the year and Sally found herself stuck in the office with Arlene. The two of them got elected to lock doors and close down computers while everyone else fled for home. Sally didn't mind the extra work, and she only lived a block away, but she did mind having to spend time with Arlene. As far as Sally was concerned, Arlene was a freak of nature--one of them---a dyke, a fairy, lesbian, or whatever you chose to call her. Arlene gave her the creeps, and she wanted nothing to do with her. She hurried to get the work done so she could get the hell out of there, the sooner, the better. It was getting cold in the building too; the heating system chose this day to go on the blink.

An hour later, after finishing up, Sally slipped her sweater on and headed for the elevator. She mentally cursed herself for not wearing her heavy coat and boots today, but she was a gal who preferred being stylish and sexy as opposed to practical. Not like you know who.

Sally and her co-workers smirked every day when Arlene came to work wearing her heavy shoes, mannish pantsuits, and Carhartt jacket. They were willing to bet that Arlene wore men's underwear too. She certainly resembled a man with her spiked butch haircut and long-legged stride.

Sally had pushed the button before she became aware of Arlene standing right behind her. 'Oh no,' Sally thought, ' I don't want to get on the elevator with a damn lesbian, no telling what might happen, we're all alone in the building too.' Before Sally could finish her thoughts the elevator door opened and Arlene gently pushed her inside.

"Relax, I don't bite or carry any infectious germs. I'm not going to stand here and freeze because of your silly prejudices." The elevator hummed as it began to descend.

Sally backed into the furthest corner she could get from Arlene and mutely stared at a point just above the lesbian's head. She bit her full bottom lip and shoved her shiny black hair over her shoulder. She was at a total loss for words as she had never spoken more than ten words to the woman in all the time they worked together. "Oh well," she thought. " It won't be more than a couple of minutes before I'm out of here." That thought lasted until the elevator made a groaning noise and came to an abrupt halt.

Sally stood frozen in disbelief, but Arlene calmly pushed the emergency button and waited patiently for a response. "Yep, Harry here, what's your problem," a sleepy sounding voice came over the intercom.

"The elevator's stuck," Sally screamed. "You're a maintenance person get me the hell out of here now."

"Calm down lady," Harry replied. "I'm at home right now, and I'm not sure I can get there in this damn blizzard. I will do my best, but it might be awhile. You should be okay; the generator will keep the lights on, but I hope you're wearing warm clothes; the furnace man couldn't get in today. Just hang in there."

"Oh God no," stuck on an elevator with a lesbian, how could I have such rotten luck?, Sally said. "I'll tell you one thing; you better stay on your side of this car, I have a can of mace in my purse, and I won't hesitate to use it." Sally pulled the can in question out and pointed it at Arlene. Arlene merely smiled and shook her head before sliding down the wall to sit lotus style on the floor. Soon she was snoring softly. Sally stared dumbfounded at Arlene, how could she be so calm? They could die in here. Sally's fingers holding the spray canister were numb with cold. She sat the canister on the floor in easy reach and stuck her hands under her sweater. The cold intensified as the minutes ticked away.

An hour passed---two, still no sign of help. Sally became so cold she began to stomp her feet and pace back and forth trying to get warm; Arlene slept on looking as snug as a hibernating bear until Sally's stomping finally woke her. She observed the situation for a minute before reaching into the ugly tote Sally and her friends made fun of and pulling out a huge thermos. Removing the cap, she poured hot coffee into a cup which also materialized from said tote.

"Here, maybe this will help," Arlene said handing the surprised Sally the coffee.

"Thanks," Sally mumbled. Nothing ever felt so divine as that warm cup in her cold hands. That is until she felt the heavy jacket on her shoulders. She looked at Arlene in surprise. "I can't take your coat, you will freeze if I do."

"No, I won't," Arlene laughed. "I wear men's long johns, remember?" She pulled her pant leg up to prove her point. "No point in freezing to death just to impress other people."

"Why are you being so nice to me when I have treated you like a piece of dirt under my feet?", Sally asked. "My friends and I all treat you like shit; I can't believe you aren't taking this chance to humiliate me or watch me freeze to death. I've never even talked to you any more than necessary. Actually, I was always kind of afraid of you. I don't know why; I just was."

"People are often afraid of someone or something that's different from what they consider normal. Really, I'm the same as you are, I just have different preferences in life and sex. I even own a dog and cat, same as most people. I also enjoy watching Dancing With The Stars. I know most folks think I'm weird, but all I am is different. I like myself and that's what matters most to me."

"You like Dancing With The Stars? That's my favorite show too. What did you think of the Hernandez girl winning this year? Sally was talking so fast Arlene couldn't answer her. They chatted most of the night and Sally vowed to talk to her friends about Arlene. She learned a valuable life lesson in those long cold hours; being different doesn't make a person bad, just different.

When Harry finally got the elevator fixed the next morning; he was surprised to find the two women sleeping on the floor with a Carhartt coat for a blanket. "Never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it," he told his buddies.