Look Out for Tricky Locks

Let me tell you that I don’t know what people did before cell phones…actually I take that back…I do know and let me tell you a story about that.
So this past week I have been housesitting for my brother and sister-in-law. They live about 5 miles away from me. I went over there at about 9:45 PM to turn off the lizard lights, bring in the mail, check on the cats, etc. Well I pulled up, opened the garage door, and Meghan (my dog) and I went inside. I decided to leave my phone and purse in the car since I wouldn’t be too long anyway. I closed the garage door behind me since it was kinda late out and well…I don’t really know why because usually I don’t close it. So I go inside and set my keys on the counter, take care of some stuff, pet the cats…
Then I remember I need to grab the mail, so I unlocked the deadbolt on the front door and went outside and grabbed the mail. Then I walk back up to the front door and turn the knob. Only it doesn’t turn. I’m thinking…oh this darn old door always sticks on me. Well I keep trying to turn, rattle, shake, push with all my might, and the door doesn’t open. And I realize that yep! I didn’t unlock the doorknob lock! It opens from the inside of course but not the outside. (And the person who designed doors that way really is an idiot. I mean seriously what sense does it make. You are just asking to get locked out with a lock like that…sheesh). And the garage door is down. And my dog is inside…with the cats…and I’m five miles from home. My phone is locked in the car and it is now after 10 so I can’t be knocking on some neighbors door that late when all the light are off anyways. So what do I do? I do what people did before cell phones. I start walking.
I decided the best thing to do would be to walk to a friends house (I have a friend from church who lives about half a mile away, and of course it is in the opposite direction of my house which is already 5 miles away). Well I get there and of course no one is home. So now I’m thinking…time to really get walking. So I walk to the main road and the whole time I am just laughing and thinking to myself…if only I had my phone in my pocket, if only I hadn’t locked my car, if only I hadn’t put the garage door down, if only I had remembered to unlock the doorknob and not just the deadbolt…I’ll be shocked if Meghan doesn’t scarf down all the cat food. So after I walked for about 2 miles I came to Applebee’s. And THANK YOU Applebee’s for being open late!!!! So I go in and say to the hostess “um, do you have a phone I could possibly use?” As I am carrying the mail (yep I just kept it with me the whole time although I don’t know why.) She gave me her cell phone to borrow, which was so nice, and I called my mom. Thank goodness she answered. So I’m like, “mom I’m at Applebee’s. Will you come pick me up?” My mom says, “huh, why are you there? How did you get there? What?” I was like “Oh I’ll explain when you get here.” So finally she comes with the spare key and takes me back to get into the house. Of course Meghan ate all the cat food (and paid for it with an upset tummy). And I got my keys and was so thankful to get my cell phone back. I was really thankful I didn’t have on my pj’s to walk down that busy road late at night and into Applebee’s. I almost put them on before I left home but then I thought to myself “what if I get in an accident or something, I better just wait to change until I get back.” Well it was one good decision I made that night!
So the moral of the story is…”Don’t go out in your pj’s, keep your cell phone in your pocket, and look out for doors with tricky locks!”