美国大西洋赌城的一个週末，一位老太太玩老虎机赢了一桶25美分的硬币。她决定停停手，休息一会，以便和丈夫到酒店餐厅吃晚餐。

    老太太心想：“我最好先把这桶硬币放到酒店的房间里。”於是对丈夫说：“你先等一下，我把这桶硬币送回房间，然後我们去餐厅。”说著，老太太捧著那桶硬币走到电梯前。 

    正要跨进电梯，发现里面早已站著两个人 —— 两个黑人！其中一个身材魁梧，高大得有些吓人。老太太惊呆了，她的第一反应就是：这两个黑人要打劫我。但转而又想：不要心存偏见，这两个黑人看起来都颇有绅士风度。可老太太的种族观念根深蒂固，一种强烈的恐惧感让她不知道是否该走进电梯。

    她意识到，自己不能老是站在那不动。经过一番痛苦的挣扎，老太太终於迈腿踏进了电梯。她刻意避开他们的目光，面朝外，两眼呆呆的盯著已经关上的电梯门。1秒钟、2秒钟、3秒钟 …… 时间一秒一秒的过去了，她内心的恐惧也一点一点的堆积。

    可电梯依然原地不动。“上帝呀！”老太太心想，“我已被他们困在了电梯里，他们是不是就要动手了？”老太太心跳加速，所有毛孔开始冒冷汗。就在这时，她听到一个黑人说：『Hit the floor!』（趴到地上）本能告诉她千万不要反抗，照他们说的去做。老太太慌慌张张的放开小桶，双手按地趴在地板上。那桶硬币哗啦啦地掉在地上，到处乱滚。老太太两手紧紧按著地板，心里默默祷告：“把钱都拿走吧，只要不伤害我！” 

    空气仿佛凝固了一样，电梯里一片寂静。几秒种後，老太太听到一个黑人非常礼貌的说：“夫人，如果你能告诉我们你住哪一层，我们很高兴帮你按一下按钮。”说话的黑人咬著嘴唇，竭力忍住就要迸发出的笑声。老太太抬起头，疑惑的看著那两个高大的黑人。他们伸出手，将老太太搀扶起来。老太太有些不解，惊魂未定，两条腿也不听使唤了。这时，那位黑人解释说：“当我对我的朋友说『Hit the floor』时，指的是，按一下我们要去的楼层按钮，而不是让您趴到地上，夫人！”(英语中『Hit the floor』有两个含义：趴到地上；按电梯的楼层按钮。)

    两位黑人互相对了一下眼神，极力控制住自己不要笑出声来。老太太感到无地自容。“我的老天，我犯了一个多麽愚蠢的错误！”她想道歉，却不知说什麽好。如何向两位彬彬有礼的绅士承认，自己原本以为他们要抢劫？

    三个人一起动手，将滚落一地的硬币一一捡起，放回老太太的小桶里。电梯到了老太太所在的楼层，两个人坚持要把老太太送到房间门口，因为老太太还有些精神恍惚。两个人礼貌地道晚安，转身离去。就在老太太走进房间的时候，她听到两个人在楼道里大声笑了起来。

老太太稳了稳心神，重新梳洗一番，然後到楼下和丈夫共进晚餐。

第二天一早，一束鲜花送到了老太太的房间--- 12朵玫瑰，每一朵玫瑰花上都掛著一张崭新的百元大钞。随鲜花送来的还有一张卡片，上面写著：“非常感谢您带给我们多年未曾有过的大笑。  送花人：迈克尔.乔丹(篮球运动员)、爱迪.墨菲（好莱坞影星）。”

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    On a recent weekend in Atlantic City, a woman won a bucketful of quarters at a slot machine. She took a break from the slots for dinner with her husband in the hotel dining 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 and she carried the coin-laden bucket to the elevator.

    As she was about to walk into the elevator she noticed two men already aboard. Both were black. One of them was big...very big...an intimidating figure. The woman froze. Her first thought was: These two are going to rob me. Her next thought was: Don't be a bigot, they look like perfectly nice gentlemen. But racial stereotypes are powerful, and fear immobilized her.

    She stood and stared at the two men. She felt anxious, flustered, ashamed. She hoped they didn't read her mind, but knew they surely did; her hesitation about joining them on the elevator was all too obvious. Her face was flushed. She couldn't just stand there, so with a mighty effort of will she picked up one foot and stepped forward and followed with 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 then another second, and then another. Her fear increased! The elevator didn't move. Panic consumed her. "My 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: Do what they tell you. The bucket of quarters flew upwards as she threw out her arms and collapsed on the elevator carpet. A shower of coins rained down on her. "Take my money and spare me", she prayed.

    More seconds passed. She heard one of the men say politely, "Ma'am, if you'll just tell us what floor you're going to, we'll push the button." The one who said it had a little trouble getting the words out. He was trying mightily to hold in a belly laugh. She 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 man 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 his lip. It was obvious he was having a hard time not laughing.

    She thought: "My God, what a spectacle I've made of myself." She was too humiliated to speak. She wanted to blurt out an apology, but words failed her. How do you apologize to two perfectly respectable gentlemen for behaving as though they were going to rob you? She didn't know what to say.

    The 3 of them gathered up the strewn quarters and refilled her bucket. When the elevator arrived at her floor they 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 while 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.

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