It was bound to happen. We'd been predicting it for months. We made plans to prevent it. But it still happened.
This morning my sweet little Joe closed the front door behind him as I popped out to put his bike seat on to my bike, thereby locking us out the house. I had nothing outside with me other than the bike seat and my bike. No keys, no phone, no wallet, no bags (full of snacks and toys to keep two kids occupied), no water. Just two boys in cycle helmets, and thankfully fully clothed and shod. It was only 8.45am but already 35 degrees and we were due at the hairdressers in 15 minutes.
To be honest the front doors are stupid: there is nothing you can do to prevent them from locking every time you close them. But we know this, and I specifically went and got two spare keys cut which we could stash outside and use should this every happen. Except one was in the car (so that we don't need to switch the car off every time we've forgotten something and have to run back inside) and one is inside next to the door and is the key that we use whenever we are going around Al Reef and don't want to take car keys with us. That one I was about to go back inside to collect.
Perhaps Joey heard my give Tiger in trouble this morning (in fact the Don and I were just chatting yesterday about how amazing it is that 2-years olds can take so much in just from your tone of voice even if they don't understand what you are actually saying) because yesterday she was last out and didn't close the front door behind her and so we got back from the school run to find the door was still wide open. It's not the first time it's happened, but we live in a safe neighbourhood. And okay perhaps every time it should be my responsibility, but sheesh, I've just gotten four kids out the door and to school on time and all by myself...!
Anyway, the boys and I are stuck outside, we're supposed to be somewhere else, and I have no way to get back in to the house. I did debate just going to get our haircuts since they're about a fortnight past needing, and I'm sure the beauty shop would have let me come back and pay later, but I didn't want to deal with this later when it was even hotter. I checked the car, and for once I'd locked it (normally I don't during the day: we live in a safe neighbourhood). I checked the back patio doors, but they were still locked (often I forget about them and leave them unlocked: we live in a safe neighbourhood). I knew our patio doors upstairs were unlocked (what can I say, we live in a safe neighbourhood), but the balcony is like 15 feet off the ground and there wasn't a ladder or workman in sight. I have no idea of the Don's phone number so it's not like I could even phone him if I found a phone. Our Italian neighbours weren't home. The other English couple I have yet to introduce myself to but know they have a dog, or is it a boy? called Toby, were not home. The Emiratis across the street were home, and as much as we say hello every morning and the very kind dad does everything he can to make Joey smile and wave, we're not quite 'there' yet. Thankfully I remembered a school friend down the street who was even more thankfully home, could tell me what to do (apparently it's happened to them twice and is quite common here), could use the Al Reef Facebook whatever to find the number and call up and cancel our hair appointments, and could look after the boys while I went and dealt with security and the Census maintenance team. Fifteen minutes, five guys, 125 dirhams, my Emirates ID card and a tenancy agreement later we had a new lock on our door and three new keys. I say 125 dirhams but I have yet to pay - there is such an expectation that you'll always have cash ready to pay for everything. I rarely do. So on a promise - and an emailed tenancy agreement, cos who knows where the paper copy it - we got the locks changed.
But man, I specifically searched out a key cutting place not two months ago in case this ever happened. As yet I've not put the third key outside, but perhaps I should go and do that right now...
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