Friday, May 7, 2010

Genius is more often found in a cracked pot than in a whole one. ~ E.B. White



Yesterday morning I stepped out on the front porch with Dylan right behind me. I had the bath mat in hand and was beginning to give it a good shake when BOOM! The front door slammed shut behind us. It was locked.


Cooper was inside alone.


I had no key to get in.


Oh no.


Oh no oh no oh no.


I made a mad dash to my neighbor Sharon's, praying she was home. They have an extra key of ours for such emergencies. She was home. But the key couldn't be found.


Now what?!


I'd had an extra key made for us, just for this purpose, but life has been so...distracting...lately, I'd hung it up inside the house and forgotten about it. The two closest family members who could come to my rescue were each at least half an hour away.


All the windows were locked. At least the alarm system was disarmed. So I did what a good Grandma had to do. I broke in to my own house. But...the window I was able to break had a good 5-6 foot drop to the floor. So I did what a good Grandma would do. I dropped. And I hit hard. But I got inside and rescued my little two-year-old grandson. Who was waiting at the gate at the top of the stairs. Who said, "Hi, Ahma!" and smiled at me as I arrived at the top of them and heaved myself over the gate. Nothing had fazed him. All the excitement had been happening outside!


But me...I was a wreck. I had a good cry. I had a very good cry, the woman who rarely, if ever, cries.


And the key? It's hidden. Outside.

9 comments:

Wander to the Wayside said...

I had basically the same thing happen to me, but it was the two year old who locked me out as a joke! He finally figured out how to unlock the door, but he did NOT get a hug because my tears were tears of anger! I now have two keys hidden outside, one that family including the boys knows about, and one they don't.

Glad all turned out well for you...it's given you a story that you and your two guys will talk about for years to come!

You know, you're getting too old to be break into houses...glad you didn't break anything other than the window!

Unknown said...

So glad you got in and your grandson was okay! What a scary experience that must have been!

Peace Thyme said...

Been there, done that. Very scary. I broke a window too. Not only locked myself out, but had the baby in the house as well as some food cooking on the stove.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I bet most of us have been there, done that. And its so easy to laugh about -- LONG AFTWERWARDS!! Solving the problem and then crying is the sensible and sane way to deal with it immediately.

I love the way your little guy was so calm through it all -- he probably thought "just another funny thing grownups do!"

Betty W said...

I´m glad you´re ok! Scary experience, I´m sure. And don´t be ashamed about crying, I would too!

betty said...

hope you are okay and didn't hurt yourself too bad "breaking" in! what an experience! good that Cooper wasn't phased about it but I would have been like you, indeed I would have cried

betty

Judy said...

OH NO!!

I'm going to go cry now. So glad it ended well.

Unknown said...

Oh my, that had to be frightening... as well as frustrating! You are great at what you do... we just have to hope that when we are imperfect nobody gets hurt! Cooper is fine, and hopefully you weren't too badly damaged when you "dropped in" to your own house!

Coll said...

My mom did the same thing (locked the door behind her while hanging laundry on the clothesline) when my sister and I were little. My dad had to come with the firetruck to let her back inside, where my sister and I were patiently waiting in our playpen. Happily, neither of us remember the incident, but it's a favorite family fable.