I have a tendency to lock myself out. To quote a never published blog post from this past summer (when Ryan and I lived in Houston and I worked from home):
"I've only been here a few weeks, and already I've locked myself out three times. And I don't even go anywhere. I work from home. I eat at home. I sleep at home. And I lock myself out at home."
It's that bad.
Just a couple weeks ago, I was bringing dinner to a family with a newborn across the street. I was a little late, so--this being the first dinner I'd ever brought to a neighbor and expecting that the entire family would be waiting around the table, utensils clenched in fists--I decided to drive there instead of walk it over. First mistake.
I arrived at the house and, since I was in a hurry, decided to leave the keys in the ignition to save myself some time. Cause you know, I could use all that time I saved to patch a quilt or something else really important that takes 2 seconds. Second mistake.
I grabbed the food, reached for the door, and shut it behind me. I started walking up the steps. Then I stopped, feeling uneasy but not entirely sure why. In my mind I replayed the last few steps in slow motion. Graaaab theeee fooood... reeeeach foooor theeee doooor... shuuut theee dooo--no wait. What was that? Rewind. Now slower. And there it was. One flip of my force-of-habit, door-locking finger, and I was locked out.
But no big deal, right? Call Ryan, he'll drive back from campus with his spare, and all will be well. Unfortunately a.) my cell phone was also locked inside, b.) Ryan would now be stranded on campus since I had just locked the key into our only functioning car, and c.) I had just locked our ONLY key into our only functioning car.
I went ahead and delivered the meal, deciding not to bother them with my dilemma because I hardly knew them and--hello!--I was supposed to be the one doing the serving at the moment. That was when my luck started to turn around.
I walked home (only one block!), used my neighbor's phone (she was home!), and called the police (they had nothing better to do!). Within five minutes, an officer cruised up next to my car, pulled a MacGyver with a balloon and wire, and I had my key back. This never would have happened in a big city--just imagine what a flop that NYPD Blue episode would have been...
So thank you, city of Orem. You may not have that Big Apple excitement, but you sure do keep me out of trouble.
6 comments:
I hate locking my keys in the car. So embarrassing. You are so funny that you didn't even tell the family. :) Don't feel too bad. I have locked my keys in the car with it running before. On the freeway. In California no less. I also locked my keys in the car in the parking lot of Sam's Club just a few months ago. I have long since decided that my roadside assistance card is a necessity. :) Glad you got bailed out by the Orem police. Good guys, right?
Theo likes to "drive" lately, which involves a lot of locking and unlocking of the doors, which can lead to problems. We got our keys locked in the van the other day, and, yes, I think I would probably get laughed at if I called the police about keys locked in a car in Vegas. We've called about domestic disputes and men with guns and never had anyone show up.
Luckily, if you google "how to break into a car" you will find lots of useful information. :)
I have a soft spot for the Orem police & their balloon of magic too! We did that in Grandma & Grandpa's driveway before they moved to S.Jordan... I just locked myself out of our rental car the other day. Except I had the key in my hand, but its one of those fancy electronic ones and the battery was dead. No regular key, no way to get in when the battery dies! Dumb! Glad you got to meet Orem's finest... just don't get on a first name basis!
I always love when girls from utah come here and think they can call the police to get their keys out. i always imagine the police laughing at them. Now for my top 3lock out stories. #1 I locked my key in my car. Dad came with the spare. Later that afternoon I locked both of them in the car. #2 I had a friend drive me to the slc airport,he left the keys in the ignition while getting my bag and like you i was in the habit of locking my door. you know what happened next. #3 pulled over cause micasela insisted she had to pee. bill got out, i got out, micaela got out. brooklynn didn't. (the only time we would ever call the police for this)
hahahaha! So glad I'm not alone in this. And I totally know what all you big city girls mean. I was all ready to call a tower when my neighbor told me the police would do it for free. It's amazing.
Rest assured, there are plenty of nice folk in the Big Apple too! I haven't locked myself out of the car (probably due to the fact I hardly drive), but I've locked myself out of my apartment, and the management has been kind enough to let me back in.
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