Lockout!

Today I locked my keys in my car, and I had to hang out in my garage for about an hour waiting for a locksmith to come let me in.

But it could have been a lot worse. It could have been like that one time in college.

I was on the swim team, and every year the team took a training trip to Florida after Christmas. Except the year my coach was about to pop out a baby. We got to stay in steamin' Bloomington, IL. Of course, we still took beach pictures:

On the second-to-last day of our "trip," Coach told us that we had earned the next day off. Winter training was done! I hadn't felt homesick since going to college, until that moment. I was exhausted, grumpy, and in pain. 


I only lived an hour away, so I packed up a few things and went out to my car. There had been an ice storm a few days earlier, and my car was coated in an inch-thick layer. Of course, my ice scraper was in my trunk, which was impossible to access. 


Being very resourceful, I quickly discovered that my big plastic comb was perfect for chipping away the ice. I cleared the driver's side door, started the car, and loaded my belongings in. I made sure that the doors were unlocked, and then started going to town on the front windshield. 

I'd been chipping away for at least 10 minutes, enough to clear half the windshield, when I heard "CLICK." I shuffled over to my door and tried the handle. For reasons that remain a mystery to me, Dorothy had locked herself.


Everything was inside the car. My dorm keys. My phone. Campus was closed and deserted. All I had was that stupid comb. And my shoulders hurt like a bitch.

I tried the handle again. Like my wishful thinking was going to magically unlock the door.

I waddled across the street to the athletic center, hoping against hope that my coach was still there. No luck. 

I was walking back to my car, deciding my next move. I would see if there was anyone at the security office. If not, I could use the phone at Walgreens. I just felt like crying. Actually, I may have. I wanted to be at home, in my warm bed, pumped up with Advil.

Then I saw a girl from my dorm unlocking the back door to the building. She was from out of state, moving back in a day early. She let me use her phone, my mom came to Bloomington with an extra key, and I made it back to Peoria for an extra day with my family. So the story has a happy ending, but it was moderately tortuous.


So, today was actually pretty good. Weather wasn't too bad. I had a phone. The locksmith was nice. And then I got to watch Arrested Development all afternoon while eating gelato.