From Bad to Worse

I woke up this morning with good intentions.  On the heels of a productive night of research into the Washington Metro Orange and Green Lines, I decided that I would take advantage of the peace and quiet of the empty office and get some writing done.    So I packed up my laptop and took off.

I was the only one here at about 10 in the morning when I got myself setup to write.  I had my coffee ready, my laptop all fired up and the Internet turned on.  The only thing left to get out of the way was a quick trip to the washroom.

Nothing seemed amiss until I left the washroom and started back down the hall.  It was then that it hit me.  My wallet was sitting on my desk.  My passkey card was in my wallet.  Uh-oh.  But I didn't panic.  Not all was lost.  The door outside of IT had a keypad combination lock on it.

I would like to pause here for a moment and remind my readers of how important it is to use our minds for more than just remembering hockey statistics or which Starbucks serves the best mocha frapps.  There are many facts that transcend the mundane and often prove useful to us in the event we don't have our digital devices handy.  One such fact is the code to the keypad combination lock on the door outside of IT at my office.  Another fact is the telephone number of someone who would remember the door code.

Yes, dear readers, there I was: standing in front of the door and asking myself, "What the hell is that number?"  I think I must have tried 40 unsuccessful combinations before the electric edge of panic started to saw away at my nerves.

No passkey.  No cell phone.  No telephone numbers in my head.  I mean, really, why would anyone remember a telephone number if they've got it stored in their phone?  Why indeed?

The real peril of my situation made itself apparent when it suddenly dawned on me that everything was in that office.  I had no car keys, no house keys.  My winter coat was in there.  It was minus fifteen celcius outside and I was five or six long kilometers from home.

Ideas started swimming through my head like guppies through murky water, along with a few choice words about how stupid a person could be.

I could reef on the door until the wooden frame gave way.  (And then wait around until the cops showed up and try to explain who I am from the back of a police cruiser.  Brilliant.)

I could sit on the floor and wait until someone comes in for overtime.  Better, but there was no guarantee anyone would come in.  (In point of fact, a few people did come in but not for a few hours later, and I had no knowledge at the time that anyone would show up.)

I remembered the telephone outside the main door, but it was about as useful at that moment as broken umbrella in a downpour because I couldn't remember any of outside numbers to call.  Brilliant.

There is a realty company on the ground floor of our building and a receptionist helped me.  I'm sure in the end she thought I was some kind of fool, but she let me use their Internet and I sent out some emails.  I also called the building management office.  I got some traction from a nice man named James on the other end of the phone, but in the end my friend Terry emailed me the stairwell door code and the door code to our space.

I cannot describe to you the sweet, sweet relief I felt when I punched in that door code, turned the doorknob and the door swung open.  You feel reality snap back into place in a moment like that.  You feel the nightmare unreality of those few moments or hours drain away from your body as you realize that you don't have to spend the night sleeping in the hallway outside your office.  The one thing that doesn't stop is the gratitude you feel to the person who helped you.

The first thing I did after jamming my wallet into my back pocket and committing the door code to memory is get in my car, drive to Chapters and buy the Keller Williams receptionist a Thank You card and a twenty-five dollar gift card.  I would have given her a one hundred dollar gift card if I could have afforded it.

Rebecca, if you're reading this, you are amazing.  This post's for you.