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Stinecicle
Dec. 8th, 2005 05:41 pmIt's 32 degrees out, with a wind chill of 25.
Keep this in mind as I tell you the following story:
My mother is a stickler for keeping doors locked. She wants them locked ALL THE TIME, even if she's walked 100 yards down to the kennel. She is not nearly so good about remembering to keep a house key with her, so I wasn't terribly surprised when she shouted up to my garage apartment asking for my spare key. I went downstairs and gave it to her, and she told me she'd leave the house unlocked so I could get in.
It was the height of foolisness for me to BELIEVE HER, and pull the locked garage door shut behind me a half-hour later when I decided to head to the house to read e-mail. I therefore found myself standing on the porch, staring at my housekey, which had been left sitting out tantalizingly in PLAIN SIGHT on the kitchen table... on the other side of a very locked door.
Let me reiterate: 32 degrees. 25 with wind chill.
My mother is also well on her way to deaf. The doorbell went unheard and unanswered.
Fortunately, I had my cell phone with me, so I dialed the house number. But she never heard the phone, and I couldn't reach her on her cell, either. I remembered she'd been planning to take a bath, so probably wasn't inclined to climb out of the hot water to pick up the phone. Rats. So I decided: No problem. We keep a spare key hidden. I'll go get that.
The spare key, however, fell from its hiding place when I reached for it, disappearing into a pile of fall leaves. Or possibly it was teleported to a distant dimension, where it yet resides. I can't be sure, and likely won't be sure until morning. I am sure of the fact that I failed to locate the fallen key in the dark, even with application of my cell phone's backlight as an impromptu flashlight. I thought I'd see the glint of even dim light off the key, but it's been raining all day. Everything is wet and glinting.
I went back to the door to try the bell again and stare forlornly at my housekey through the glass, contemplating whether or not I was going to head down to the kennel - the only unlocked, heated building left available to me by this point - when my cellphone rang.
My sister: "What's up?"
Me: (manic laughter) Funny you should ask. You'll never guess!
She and her fiance were understandably amused by my plight, and while Jim called the house phone (again) my sister counseled me to beat on Mom's bathroom window. I'd been avoiding this for fear I would terrify her into a heart attack (not only killing my mother, but still leaving me stuck outside the house), but accepted my sister's advice and bit the bullet.
I'm still not sure she heard me banging on the window, but Jim finally got her on the phone, and she came and let me in.
I can almost feel my fingers again.
Keep this in mind as I tell you the following story:
My mother is a stickler for keeping doors locked. She wants them locked ALL THE TIME, even if she's walked 100 yards down to the kennel. She is not nearly so good about remembering to keep a house key with her, so I wasn't terribly surprised when she shouted up to my garage apartment asking for my spare key. I went downstairs and gave it to her, and she told me she'd leave the house unlocked so I could get in.
It was the height of foolisness for me to BELIEVE HER, and pull the locked garage door shut behind me a half-hour later when I decided to head to the house to read e-mail. I therefore found myself standing on the porch, staring at my housekey, which had been left sitting out tantalizingly in PLAIN SIGHT on the kitchen table... on the other side of a very locked door.
Let me reiterate: 32 degrees. 25 with wind chill.
My mother is also well on her way to deaf. The doorbell went unheard and unanswered.
Fortunately, I had my cell phone with me, so I dialed the house number. But she never heard the phone, and I couldn't reach her on her cell, either. I remembered she'd been planning to take a bath, so probably wasn't inclined to climb out of the hot water to pick up the phone. Rats. So I decided: No problem. We keep a spare key hidden. I'll go get that.
The spare key, however, fell from its hiding place when I reached for it, disappearing into a pile of fall leaves. Or possibly it was teleported to a distant dimension, where it yet resides. I can't be sure, and likely won't be sure until morning. I am sure of the fact that I failed to locate the fallen key in the dark, even with application of my cell phone's backlight as an impromptu flashlight. I thought I'd see the glint of even dim light off the key, but it's been raining all day. Everything is wet and glinting.
I went back to the door to try the bell again and stare forlornly at my housekey through the glass, contemplating whether or not I was going to head down to the kennel - the only unlocked, heated building left available to me by this point - when my cellphone rang.
My sister: "What's up?"
Me: (manic laughter) Funny you should ask. You'll never guess!
She and her fiance were understandably amused by my plight, and while Jim called the house phone (again) my sister counseled me to beat on Mom's bathroom window. I'd been avoiding this for fear I would terrify her into a heart attack (not only killing my mother, but still leaving me stuck outside the house), but accepted my sister's advice and bit the bullet.
I'm still not sure she heard me banging on the window, but Jim finally got her on the phone, and she came and let me in.
I can almost feel my fingers again.
