Saturday, December 22, 2007

The best laid plans of mice and men

The other day I spent the whole day going back and forth between my mom’s house and my grandmother’s house. Don’t worry—they live a block apart from each other.

I was making the trips in my grandmother’s car. As I was leaving my mom’s house after the first trip, I realized that I didn’t have the right garage door opener.

I took a stab at it and guessed what the garage code might be. It didn’t work. So I called her and asked her what the code for the garage door was. As it turns out, my guess was right, but even after I tried it again, the garage door still wouldn’t shut.

Mom told me to close the garage door from the inside and leave the house through the back door, leaving it unlocked. Then I could open the backyard gate and get around to the car.

Well, as I was leaving through the back door, I realized that it could be locked from the inside. Not wanting to chance letting criminals in the back door, I chose to lock it.

When I got out into the backyard, though, I couldn’t find the gate. Hoping that I was just a little nearsighted and that there really was a gate, I called my mom again.

“Mom? I’m locked in the backyard and I can’t get out. Where’s the gate?”

She burst into laughter. “Kitty’s locked in the backyard!” she crowed to her coworkers.

Apparently the latch is on the outside of the gate, not the inside.

“You’re gonna have to climb over the fence!” said my mom. “But do it in a hurry, you don’t want the neighbors to call the police!”

“Are you sure that’s the only way out, Mom?”

“Well, there’s a ladder in the shed. But knock it over after you use it – we don’t want thieves to get in through the back yard.”

“Mom. The back door’s locked. They’d be in the same predicament I’m in.”

(Come to think of it… Hello! The latch is on the outside of the gate! All they have to do is flip the latch and they can get in the back yard!)

So I hung up and climbed up the fence on the ladder. I managed to reach down far enough on the outside of the gate to open the latch so I didn’t have to jump down on the other side. I drove back to my grandmother’s house and let myself in the house. Halfway through telling her what had just happened, the phone rang. It was my mom.

“Honey? I just thought of something… You know my garage door opener? The second button on your grandmother’s garage door opener opens my garage…”

These things only happen to me.

3 comments:

Twango said...

I'm sorry, but I'm dyin here. This sounds like something that would happen to me.

Rhonda said...

Ok, this REALLY sounds like something your mom and Roy would do! I can't believe you got caught up in it too!

Princess Cat's Pajamas said...

I'm glad y'all are getting a good laugh at my expense! :D