Well, I'm extremely behind in posting, but this is one story I really need to document.
On Wednesday, March 26th, I was doing my usual weekly cleaning. I was nearly done, and just needed to empty the vacuum cleaner one last time (side note: I usually have to empty the dust container on my vacuum cleaner here about 3 times just to get my whole house vacuumed. This really annoys me). I've found it's best to do this outside. I've also found I need to latch the door behind me when I go, or Madeline gets the door open to come join me. I should probably explain--our door here, if you just shut it, isn't latched. You have to turn the handle to latch it. And you have to use a key to lock it--either from the inside or from the outside. Anyway, I finished emptying, took the dirt to the garbage can, and tried to get back in the house. Key word being "tried."
My darling 18 month old daughter had evidently indeed attempted to come join me. She'd turned the key (which I'd left in the lock inside) just far enough to lock me out, and her in. I had no coat (it was about 45 degrees), no cell phone, and most importantly, no keys. Oh yeah, and it was almost nap time. Madeline tends to get increasingly cranky when it's her nap time, even if she hasn't been locked alone in the house.
So there I was, in stunned disbelief. I must have tried the door 5 or 6 times before I really believed I was truly locked out. Then I tried pushing my shoulder against the door a few times. Yeah, right!! This was followed by quite a bit of attempting to get Madeline to get the key out of the door and pass it to me through the mail slot (you know, the mail slot, a very British thing, was actually quite useful in this whole ordeal). "Come on, baby, get the key. Get the key for Mommy. You can do it, honey; get the key! Come on, Madeline, get the key." Despite the fruitlessness of this, I kept going back to it.
Anyway, eventually a woman and her son walked by. I ran up and explained what had happened. She called her husband, who was home painting, to bring his tools and come take a look. Once he got there, all he could really see to do was to break off the mail slot to see if that gave us enough room to get to the key. I'd already tried shoving my hand in as far as I could, which wasn't far enough. We'd tried all other doors, and windows, all of which were shut and locked quite securely. I was still talking to Madeline through the mail slot, trying to get her to get the key. She did actually go and get me one of her books, and passed that to me through the mail slot. Maybe she thought I needed some light reading to pass the time?
The woman asked if my husband could come home from work to let me in. I didn't have Bill's number memorized--it was in the computer and in my cell phone, both of which were inside my Fort Knox of a home. So she called the main desk at Perkins. I explained the whole situation to them. They transferred me to Human Resources. I explained the whole situation to them. They looked up Bill's schedule and found he was in an all-day meeting. They contacted his boss, and explained the whole situation to him. He went and pulled Bill out of his meeting, and, finally, relayed the whole situation to the one who needed to know! I wonder if I've become an office anecdote yet?
By the time Bill got home and let me in (thankfully, he had a key to one of the back doors, as well--with the key still in the lock, we couldn't get in the front at all), I'd been stuck outside for almost an hour.
Thankfully, other than being tired and confused, Madeline was fine. She hadn't gotten into any of the serious trouble an 18 month old left alone in the house could have gotten into. And, other than the damage I'd done to my hands trying to shove them into the mail slot and being a bit chilled, I was fine too! Bill, bless his heart, didn't give me the really hard time he very easily could have. And needless to say, we're no longer leaving the key in the lock (even if it is better for fire safety that way) and I am now ALWAYS taking keys with me when I leave the house--even if it's only to empty the vacuum cleaner!
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4 comments:
that's flippin' hilarious! and you are not alone. just in the past 3 or 4 months, i have locked myself out at LEAST 4 times, one of those being with erik in the house. fortunately, that time, erik was old enough to be able to figure out how to unlock the door, and also to figure out that i was trying to tell him to unlock the door. after thirty minutes of pleading and wheedling, but hey, at least he did it! the other times, (once snowing and sleeting with two small children) the kindness of strangers and having the other liz just down the road prevailed. i really ought to get meself a hide-a-key....
Wow, that is so funny (although not funny at the time, I am sure). I love the part when she hands you a book through the mail slot. What a fun game to play, hand mom stuff through a slot in the door. I am glad to hear that Madeline was okay. I am sure you are going to hear a lot of other people lock stories so I will contribute mine...
When my brother was about 3, my grandpa gave him a bunch of old skeleton keys. We have skeleton lock at my parents house so he decided to see if they worked. He managed to lock himself in his room and get the key stuck in the lock. He became hysterical. My mom tried unlocking the door but it didn't work. She tried talking to him but a toddler locked in a room doesn't listen...I don't remember how they finally got him out. But they did manage somehow because we haven't been shoving food under the door for the last 15 years!
I also experienced this paniced experience with Kaleb about two weeks after we moved into our home. He turned the lock on the handle when I went outside and therefore was locked inside while I was out. Luckily I had a neighbor with a cell phone standing outside. I guess we found out the many things they learn everyday, the hard way.
Oh My... I would have paniced and broken down in tears. Yeah for keeping your head about you. That will be a story to tell at her wedding you know :-)
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