Upon arriving at the elevator there were already three black men on it. She quickly debated with herself about the situation.  "This is ridiculous, I have nothing to fear from these men, here in the middle of a reputable hotel.  Ok, no problem, I'm going to ride this elevator, etc...."

She then stepped into the elevator and quickly turned her back on the three men and faced the door.  Shortly after the door closed, she heard one of the men say, "Hit the floor, lady."

She immediately dropped to her stomach in terror.  Upon her quick dive for the floor the 3 men broke out hysterically in laughter.  The man after all, had simply meant for her to select the floor she wished to go to. She was terribly shaken and embarrassed about the whole thing, but tried to shake it off as she had several days of business to attend to.

At the end of her stay she went to check out of the hotel and pay for her room.  To her confusion the clerk informed her that her room had been taken care of.  He then handed her a note and explained that it had been left by the person who had picked up the tab for the room.

And the note said :"Thanks for the best laugh I've ever had in an elevator!"

Is this what really happened . . .

" This elderly lady who lived deep in the south, had to go to NY forsome reason or other. She had never left her home town before and was petrified to have to leave to go to a big city. Her friends had warned her that NY was a very dangerous place and that there was a very high level of crime. But, because she had to go, she decided that she would stay in the most expensive hotel in Ny. She figured that way, there had to be good security there. When she arrived, she checked into her hotel and boarded the elevator. She walked in with her bag in hand and following her in were three tall black men.

Remembering what her friends had said, she was very nervous. One of the men asked her to "hit the floor", as the door closed. The elderly womandropped her bag and dropped to the floor...The three men explained to her that they only meant to hit their floor button.

They helped her up as she was quite shaken and she got off at her floor. When the day arrived for her to check out, she went to pay the bill only to find her bill had already been paid and that the person that paid it had left her a note. The note read, "Thanks for the best laugh I've ever had!" Eddie Murphy, Arseino Hall and one other fellow.( I cannot remember who else was there sorry). "

Thanks Jo~ for sharing this story with us.

or is it this . . . .

" I read your "true stroy" and its revision with fasination. I am fasinated that this story has changed from its original form. Back when Lionel Ritchie was popular, this story was told about him. It went:

A lady got on an elevator in Los Angeles and a black man and his dog was on the elevator. The dog started to growl and the man said, "Lay Down Now."

The lady hit the floor. The doors of the elevator opened and the man and his dog got out of the elevator.

Later on that evening, the woman recieved 2 dozen red roses with the message,

"Thanks for the laugh that you gave me on the elevator today. I was talking to my dog." Lionel Ritchie.

Just thought you might want to know the original version of this story. If it is true or not, I have no ideal.

Thanks to Patricia Anderson for sharing this story with us.

or is it this . . . .

" 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 bvious. 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 umiliated 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 ere 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 and Michael Jordan.

Thanks to Marianne RL for sharing this story with us.