Where's the Key

Everything that is locked needs a key; the door, the cupboard, the suitcase, the car, the software I downloaded needs the key numbers too.

This little mechanism caused so much anxiety to my three little ones one day. It was yet a very hot summer’s day and I decided to take my little ones to the beach, my two girly girls and the baby of the family our Staffordshire-terrier puppy XENA. So the littles were already settled in the car; when the phone rang and I decided to backtrack to answer it as it could be hubby with his very important phone call.   Like “can you record the footy for me at 8:00 pm at channel nine “ or his “I’ll be home for dinner what are you cooking?”

It was one of my friends actually.   So, in between trying to make a phone conversation to trying to “shhhhh”….the little ones;  my kids make a racket of “mum common, hurry up, you always talking”…it sets off the puppy too and we were very noisy.  In the end; I told my friend I’ll call her back when we get back from the beach.

As I slammed the door adjoining the main house and the garage, I was missing my shoulder bag.  I realized I took it with me when I answered the phone and put it down in the sofa.

So, there I was with three panicky little ones…going round and round around the house to look for an open window where I can clamber back inside to retrieve my bag with the car keys in it.   What a sight we would have been, in single pile …a parade, me the leader followed by 2 kids and a puppy.  Following me with a whinge “what we gonna do mum?”  ‘Why you not thinking mum?” followed by a yelp then followed by a melodramatic “we all gonna die with the heat”.   It was 36 degrees…it gets very, very hot in AUSTRALIA sometimes.

I gave up the idea of an opened window after we circled the house.  I knew I really secured it from the inside.   So, I distracted the littlies with the treats that were luckily already in the car; while I composed and gathered myself how to solve the predicament I have put my little dependants into.  They are now getting very restless,  are hot and want to go back to the comfort inside the house where there is air-conditioning .

I thought of ringing the locksmith but I know will cost me at least $30.00; then I have to hassle the neighbours for phone usage.  I was determined to solve the problem on my own.  It’s my independent or my stubborn streak or maybe my pride kicking in again.  Then I remember the man-hole in the garage.   So, I tried to climb on top of my car but too far from the man-hole.   Then, I dragged the barbecue table and put a chair on top of it and I managed to climb up the ceiling.  But then have to go back down to pacify the scared kids who said “don’t go up there mummy, the monster might get you”.  I assured them there’s no monster up there, as it’s too hot.  Hot, it was! sweltering; me crawling up the ceiling and was getting singed knees and sweating profusely; it was like a sauna up there, trying to figure out where’s the other hole that leads to the main house.  I found it and jumped down victoriously from the ceiling spraining my ankle a bit; and opened the door to the delight and clapping of little hands .  I was a hero to the littlies that day.  They could not stop telling their daddy how brave mummy was.

Then the key drama happened again 4 weeks ago in my hotel.  I was off for my breakfast and decided to just lock my bag in the suitcase as it will secure my valuables, but forgot the key to the suitcase; was in my shoulder bag.  So, there I was again with a key problem, the  concierge and the guy from their engineering department with all sizes of pliers trying to prise the lock of my suitcase…and me in the background pleading ‘please, be careful not to ruin the suitcase it’s brand new’.