Locked out

Stupid lock.

I came home around 12, to find it impossible to turn the key in the lock. I tried, tried and tried some more, while Melvin got even more crazy for each attempt. He wanted to lick my hand, and NOW !

But he was going to have to wait.

I hadn't had any breakfast, because it was just a quick round to the lab. Which it was. But I didn't expect this to await when I came back home. I had to bike over to the house-fixers' place and find someone who could help me locate my specific house fixer. Oh, did I forgot to mention - of course I had left the phone inside the apartment!

I found my fixer, and he and a ex-locksmith friend came over to my place. Trying to do what I had done myself, over and over, 10 minutes ago. They did not succeed either. So they called for a real locksmith, and left.

I, on the other hand, was condemned to stay put outside the apartment door. I didn't know what time it was, I didn't have my phone, and I had an anxious Melvin indoors. After what felt like more than 1 hour wait, outside the apartment door, 5 degrees, and menstrual cramps - I was about to give up. And oh, I was sugar-low of course, my last food intake was then about 18 hours ago. I gave up my wait, and knocked on the door of my sweet neighbours'. I haven't really talked to them, more than said 'hi' once in a while, and talked a bit about cats. But now I have! They warmly welcomed me into their apartment, offered me tea, and let me borrow the phone to call my fixer again and check how he was doing on that locksmith progress. He promised to call the locksmith straight away, and less than 10 minutes later both the fixer AND the locksmith arrived. Then I was at least lukewarm again, full of nice tea, and had had a fun conversation with my sweet neighbours, and petted their lovely cat.

Now, my door looks like this. The locksmith went to get a new lock and door handle for me. He said it would take about 2 minutes, he's been gone 30 now. There's a chill from the door. I'm frozen all the way through. It turned out I had been sitting outdoors for 2 hours, no wonder I was cold!