It wasn't me

I guess there is a first time for everything, including locking yourself out of you apartment; well, I question whether I actually did this. I have lived here a few months short of 5 years and have NEVER locked myself out or even had a scare where I thought I had. Once I was up-and-at-um this morning, I decided to start the laundry and check that off today's to-do list. I gathered the clothes, detergent and quarters - the new apartment in Ann Arbor will have laundry in the apartment - and headed up stairs. I had some trash that needed to be taken out as well, so I put this outside the door. After starting the wash and returned downstairs, set down the detergent and took out the trash. While coming back in I was thinking about the omelet I was going to make for breakfast with mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers. I grabbed the door handle and slammed myself in to the door - IT WAS LOCKED!

I giggled it a few more times some how thinking that it might miraculously open, but alas it did not. I had no keys on me, no phone, and did not even remember the phone number to the office, which is closed on Sunday. I only know one persons number in town - those damned cell phones and speed dial, but he was not that one with keys to my apartment. I knew there was a maintenance man who has an apartment in our building and sometimes stayed there. I couldn't exact ally remember which was his so I decided against knocking. Of the other 3 apartments on my floor, I know the neighbors next to me the best, which is not really all that well anyway. I looked to see if their vehicles were in the parking lot and the husband's truck was, so I knocked - no answer. The neighbors kiddy-corner I knew the least well, so I went with the neighbors across the hall. It was only about 10:15 and I could hear that they were up and about as well. I knocked and the younger daughter answered, I think she is the only one in the home that speaks English. She gave me their cordless phone to call the 24h number.

I called and spoke with the operator at the call center, she said she would call maintenance and have them call back. I took a seat on the stairs outside my apartment door. As I was sitting on the stairs I heard Lily (my cat) meowing right inside the door. I felt really bad, maybe she thought I wasn't coming back for awhile. She continued this for a minute or two, then I heard her scratching or something on the other side of the door. All of the sudden I heard the door handle moving and then I heard it again followed by a meow. From what I could gather, she was jumping up on the door and messing with the door handle. THE CAT HAD LOCKED THE DOOR!! I know it sounds crazy, and if you've met my cat, maybe less so, but I don't have any other explanation for how the door got locked.

It had been about 10 minutes and no call yet; I called again. She said she would call this time, apparently she had just paged him the previous time. Within a few minutes I got a call from him. He said he was leaving now, but it would take him about 30 minutes to get here as he lived out of town. I was not too happy to hear the on-call maintenance man was that far away. I told him I know some management personal live in the apartments, could he call one of them, he agreed. While waiting to hear back from him, I called the one person's number I knew - voice mail, I left a message. I thought maybe he didn't' pick up because he didn't recognize the number, so I called again, ah ha, a voice. I quickly explained I was locked out and asked if he would call E, who has keys to my place. Just after hanging up with him, the maintenance man called and said Erin from the office would be over to let me in. Finally, this would be over. It had been over 25 minutes, this I knew because I heard the washer go off. Finally after 10 more minutes and another call to the 24h call center to make sure Erin was coming, I was in!














"I didn't do anything"