Cautious steps

On Thursday morning, my father and sister left home to take my sister to renew her U.S. visa.  They left early to make sure they got there on time.

As they exited the apartment, my dad said something one would expect of him.  He said they should take the stairs rather than the elevator, in the slight case that the elevator stopped functioning while they were in it and they missed the appointment as a result, even though the elevator hadn't broken down in a long time.

So they took the stairs.  My sister made the appointment and everything went great.

The next morning, my dad got a phone call.  It was my mom.  She was stuck in the elevator.

They got someone to fix the elevator and rescue my mom, and the elevator went back to normal use.  But that same afternoon, my dad got stuck in the elevator.