HELP!!

[loracs]

You see, I have this friend, a friend from way back, from college, over 20 years ago. He's a good guy. Many years ago he moved to the Bay Area. And he has a cat. The cat is getting old and needs a pill every day. My friend, C, has a job with some travel involved. He's been in D.C. since last Wednesday. I've been feeding the cat. And here, as they say, is where the plot thickens.

I got up this morning with a few tasks to do (none got done) and a possible plan of seeing a movie today (Akelah and the Bee), but first I had to feed the cat. I rushed out the door and sped to the apartment. I was short on time if we were going to make the 2:25pm show. Highway was clear (it hadn't started to rain yet) and I sailed here in record time. Got in the apartment, put the pill in the little pill treat morsel, put out the food and water. Job completed, I headed for the door. Reached for the door knob and it wouldn't turn. Tried a little harder, nothing. Flipped the deadbolt in case I locked it on my way in. Nope, it was unlocked. Tried the door knob again. Still wouldn't budge.

Small panic rose briefly in my chest. Calm down, I'll just use the key to unlock it from inside. Well, that's a bust, the knob is a throw back to a bygone era; a clear crystal knob without a key hole. The kind your Great Aunt Lou Lou had in every door in her house. Very pretty, very delicate with the angular cuts but totally useless if you wish to insert a key and escape.

Now a little panic is setting it. I go to his phone and I can't figure out how to use it. A little more panicky. Wait, my cell phone is in my pocket, an unusal place for it, I keep it in my purse; which I left in the van parked in front of his apartment. Well, at least it's parked legally today. In previous visits this week I've parked in a few questionable spaces re: their legality. So, back to the phone - my trusty, lovely, little phone which is now my link to the outside world.

Shit. Dammit. In my rush out the door, I didn't leave stonebender set up with access to the phone. Well, here's great thing #1 about poly, I can call dbubley and burble panic in her ear. I need C's cell phone number. I need the number for his apartment manager. (Did I mention how quiet this building is? In all the times I've been over to feed the cat I've never seen one person coming in, leaving or walking down the halls of this building. I don't even hear signs of life from behind the doors. Weird.)

I leave a message for stonebender on the answering machine so he knows why I am not back yet. He can hear the message even though he can not answer the phone. I call dbubley and give her the poop scoop. Stonebender looks for C's cell, but he doesn't have it and email's dbubley, who calls me.

I start to look around the apartment for any info on the manager or management company. Hey, there's a memo from the management company. I have their phone number. I call. It's a machine. I try to sound completely normal, as I tell the tale of my captivity. I'm waiting for them to call back.

Ah, C has a computer. At least I'll have another outlet to the world. I turn it on and he has it password protected. Damn. I try a few obvious ones, including none, but it's a no go. So what, I wonder, happens when you forget your password? There's usually a question thing, I look around and there it is. I've know C for over 20 years, will I be able to answer the question? Since I'm typing this at his apartment, the answer is "yes", I do know him well enough.

Now I can email stonebender and he can get info back to me. Cool thing #2 about poly; he's IM'ed serenejournal and she is on the way over to get him set up with the phone and other stuff. And she can get on my computer to find C's cell phone number. She did and I've called and left C a message.

In the mean time, I decide I'll look around because I might be here for a while. As I mentioned in the beginning, this is a bachelor's apartment and one in which, he has been away from for a few days. I didn't expect to find much and my expectations were far exceeded. The fridge contains eggs, assorted condiments, 5 day old take out pizza and beer. Next stop the freezer. Here we have an empty box of pizza rolls and about 10 lbs of coffee. Not looking good, but there's plenty of cabinets. I start in the obvious ones - pots and pans, good. The next ones are either empty or contain cleaning supplies. I go back a second time, maybe I missed a can of corn or something. Nope. There is not one morsel of people food in this entire place. C will not be back until midnight - I'll starve I tell you - I'LL STARVE!!! But not my brain, C works in publishing and has lots of books and cable tv and now that I "broke" into his computer, I have the world wide web. I'll survive.

Just got call from C. He doesn't have the resident manager's number but he gave me an idea where to look for it. He says call a locksmith. I might do that, but first I'm going to try looking for a number. Wish me luck!

Edit: serenejournal is on her way over. I will bend out the screen on the kitchen window and throw the keys to her. I hope the door will open from the outside. Since I've now left messages on 3 different management related numbers (including the emergency cell phone number), if this doesn't work, I will call a locksmith.

Comments

[leback.livejournal.com]

Yikes! I hope it's all worked itself out by now, with no adverse health consequences. I'm impressed that your storytelling ability holds up so well in a crisis. :-)

[loracs.livejournal.com]

It helped to post on LJ. It really feels like I'm talking to a bunch of folks at once, even if people don't reply, I know they have or will see it, ya know?

[fattest.livejournal.com]

What's the address? Should we come and break you out?

[loracs.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the offer. I was feeling like a "plucky Lucy Ball/dame in distress" character.

[wordweaverlynn.livejournal.com]

It's a rainy, miserable day out here. If you only had a decent food supply, it would be a good day for a little retreat in a bachelor pad.

[epi-lj.livejournal.com]

Eep!!! I hope you managed to get free in decent time. That would be pretty alarming!

Oh My!

[tracytreefrog.livejournal.com]

Hope all works out well so glad you have extended family close to help!