Locked Out in the Cold

At around 2 pm today, I decided to check to see if the mail had arrived. I haven’t quite figured out when the mail man arrives since we haven’t been here long, but it is a novelty to actually walk down the driveway to the mailbox since we had a box on our house before (note: there is a box on our house, but it isn’t used and caused quite the confusion when we moved in!)

I decided to slip out through the garage since Katy was sleeping and I didn’t want to make much noise as she REALLY needed a good nap today. I had my husband’s Addidas sandals on, and no coat since I planned to just run down to the box and back. Now, bear in mind that I didn’t have a coat and it was in the low 40’s out. Since I didn’t have a coat, you can figure that I didn’t have keys or a cell phone, which made this situation even trickier.

So, back to the story…I slipped out the side garage door, and it went shut behind me. I panicked. Our doors on our house open without unlocking, which means I was locked out in the cold. I stood there turning the knob hoping I was just dreaming. NOPE! So, I went down and checked the mail. Yep, it was there. Nothing too exciting, but walked back up to the house. I rechecked the door I had come out through (somehow I hoped that it would have changed from 30 seconds before when I tried before), but it had not changed. I went to the front door hoping that when Phil had left, I had left it unlocked. I knew full well that was not the case because I remembered checking it just before heading out the other door. RRRRR. By this time, I was really frustrated, getting cold, glad I had put shoes on instead of going out in my slippers, and wondering what on earth I was going to do.

You must remember that in the past, we lived 10 minutes from my parents and they had a spare key, but now, we live 10 hours from them, and they could be of no help. So, my options were:
1) Sit there and cry while I froze my behind off without a coat (yes, mom, I know better then to go out in the cold without a coat, but I am just not used to wearing a coat yet!) – not an option…I knew I had to do something
2) Scream, hoping that someone in our quiet “retired” neighborhood might hear it and have pity on me. – again, not an option because I didn’t want to wake Katy up!
3) Walk all the way (ok, 3 houses) to the end of the street to the house where I know the lady will be home and she has kids, so I wouldn’t feel quite so stupid – an option, but too lazy
4) Go next door to the nice neighbors who delivered chocolate chip cookies to our house on Saturday (and hope they offer more because they were delicious) – great plan, suck it up and walk on over, ring the bell, they’ll answer. WRONG! No one was home.
5) Great what now? Stand on neighbor’s porch and peruse the neighborhood for people I’ve met who might have mercy on me – great plan, but getting me no where
6) Suck it up and walk to the neighbors on the other side whom I had not met. Hey, I’m an outgoing kind of gal, why not. – yeah! They were home. They let me borrow their phone. I attempted to call my husband’s cell, but got voice mail (later found out I dialed the wrong # because it never came up with his voice (just a generic greeting), and it never rang thru to his phone)

I then asked for a phone book. Well, bad news again. My husband’s place of business is not listed ANYWHERE in the phone book. (Trust me, the lady and I checked every option while my ear got talked off by the 89 year old man there!)

By this time, panic was really starting to set in. What if Katy woke up and started to freak out? What if I couldn’t get a hold of Phil? Should I just go home and start banging on Katy’s window and wake her from the precious sleep she was getting? No, I couldn’t do that.

GOD? PLEASE help me remember some numbers to get onto campus. Then, I remembered a friend’s #. Didn’t get him, but was able to be transferred to my husband’s new boss (whom he has only worked for 1 week!), but got his voicemail and didn’t want to leave a message.

Back to the phone book to look once again, while getting my ear talked off by the kind man in the recliner. I had to hear about his kids, grandkids, and especially his 3rd grand grandson who is so smart he’s taking college chemistry at Purdue every Saturday…my brain is really freaking out now.

GOD? Are you there? You’ve got to help me. I can’t leave her there alone much longer (and it’s 85 degrees in here!)! Then, He dropped another number (the Facility Services # where I used to call Phil back in the days.) Please answer and be someone I know! Oh, good. It’s Randy. “Randy? It’s Lisa Huber. I’m locked out of my house and Katy’s sound asleep in the house. I need to talk to Sheila (can’t remember her last name) who is Greg’s assistant so I can get Phil.” “Oh, Sheila P……, no problem!” “Thanks!”

So, the hold music comes on, and then Sheila answers, “Hey, Lisa!” “Oh, Sheila! I need help! I’m locked out of our house and Katy is inside sleeping. Could you PLEASE help me get Phil?” “Oh, yes! I’ll get him right away.” We hang up.

I wait for him to arrive, while getting my ear talked off more, and pace the floor so I can watch for him. After what seems eons, I tell them that he should be there anytime (not really sure if that is the case, but can’t stand sitting there worrying about Katy any longer.) They insist that I take Gerry’s coat so I don’t freeze and even offer me a lawn chair to sit on. I take the coat (because I know I won’t get out without it), and pass on the chair –it’s not like I’d use it anyway…pace, pace, pace, huff, huff, puff, fume….

I walk back over to the house, look in the front window, no sign of Katy. Walk to her bedroom window and listen. Walk back to the front porch, attempt to sit, get up, pace, fume, walk back to Katy’s window, consider pounding, decide better of it. I don’t need her totally freaked out too.

Eventually, Phil comes zipping down the road and pulls into the drive. He’s laughing! URRR. He asked what happened, and I explained. “Nice jacket. Where’d you get that?” “Lady next door…couldn’t get out without it.”

More chuckles. “Hey, Phil?” “Yes?” “Do you remember that conversation the other night about hiding a key outside so if something like this should happen (God forbid!), I wouldn’t get stuck like this?” “Yes.” “Do you remember that you said you would sleep on it and let me know? Well, I think you’ve slept on it long enough!” Smirk from Phil appears here! Ok.

“Did you know those neighbors?” “Nope. I do now though!” More chuckles.

He then explained to me that Sheila came into the meeting he was having with his boss in shear panic. She sent him on his way lickity split! Thanks, Sheila!

We discussed where to hide a key before he left, and I told him I’d be going to Wal-mart (good thing it is less then ¼ mile down the road) to get keys made!

After he left, I grabbed the keys, set them by the door so I wouldn’t forget when I went to get Lilly from school, and hurried to make a call to my mom and tell her of the events. (brilliant move when she’s over 550 miles away and couldn’t have done anything anyway! It’s one of those things we do to throw our parents into panic, I guess – I just don’t mean to do it.)

What a day!