One very LONG night

The thoughts going through my head as I am trapped in the Town Office for 11 hours!

 

6:23pm - I call Kirk and find out Cathy is at the High School.  Great I say, I am heading there right now to put some MOM'S Pantry in the deep freeze.

6:24pm - I am carrying the vacuum down the stairs at the Town Office.  The vacuum falls off my shoulder and pulls the door shut. 'Shit' I know immediately that I am trapped down in the basement of the town office since the door has a deadbolt on it that locks immediately. 

6:25pm - I find a nail and a paper clip and I start trying to make one of the door locks open.  The is a side door to the outside, locked with a dead bold.  No paper clip is going to open this!  There is a door upstairs to Sharon Labatt's art studio.  I work away at that lock for some time but can't get it to open. 

6:55pm - I know the library closes at 7pm so I will just yell really loud and bang on this side window, the librarian will hear me and get a key and get  me out of here.

6:56pm- I watch the library lights until I see the lights turn out.

7:00pm- I start yelling and screaming Hello as loud as I can while banging on the window.

7:01pm - Librarian drives away.

7:02pm- Well now I think that I am definitely going to miss my SCC meeting and I really needed to go to this one.  I have a couple of things on the agenda I wanted to address.  At least I have made it VERY clear that I am planning to attend the meeting.  I have told the Vice Principal that I am for sure coming but I might be late so leave the agenda with her.  I tell Lyndi I am going to be there so she is going to bring  me some leaf cookie cutters.  I rarely miss a meeting so Tami will think it is really weird if I don't show up.  I wonder if I will have to wait until 9pm for the search party to start or if they will stop the meeting and head out to find me.

8:00pm - Boy I hope I don't have to be here much longer.  If I stand still I can hear the mice downstairs. No standing still for me. I will get a workout in.  Oh the running, jumping jacks, push ups, squats, leg raises!

9:00pm - Well someone will be here shortly.

9:30pm - I am sure Tami will be phoning to see why I wasn't at the meeting. I hope Cory has the good  sense to answer the phone for once.

9:45pm- Kirk has asked Cathy about the meeting and my call. It was probably a high point of his day.   Cathy will be on skype by now and asking why I wasn't at the meeting.  Cory will at least pay attention to that since he obviously hasn't answered Tami's call. 

10:00pm - Well, I guess I will have to wait until 11pm. Cory knows that is our cut off and if I am not home by then he will come to find me.

10:25- Every day when I clean these buildings there is some drunk hanging out around here.  Why are there no drunks out here tonight?

11:30pm - boy he is taking a long time to get here.  I am freezing cold now, I start to put garbage bags over my head to keep my body heat in. When he gets here I am not going to clean the RCMP, they can just fire me.

12:00am- OK, nobody is coming tonight.  I am going to try to stay warm, maybe sleep, and wait till morning.

12:10am- I really have to pee!  If I pee, maybe I can fall asleep.  There is a garbage can downstairs and all my extra garbage bags and toilet paper.  Well I've partied at the flats and been to Cypress, I can do this.

1:00am - Shit that MOM's Pantry is thawing in my car.

2:00am- I sit on a chair, with a roll of paper towel on my lap as a pillow.  Lean forward and sleep.

2:45 - the longest I have gone without looking at my watch.  I'm freezing!  Back up and running on the spot.

3:30am - I could break this window with the vacuum.  Then climb out and walk somewhere to use the phone.  Not a great idea.  The window is small and high.  I will probably get cut up climbing out. Then I will be outside at 3:30am bleeding without a car.  How is that better than this?  I wait.

4:00am - if those buggers are sitting around the table eating breakfast before anyone notices that I am not home I am going to kill them.

4:15am - Kaida will be up in 2 hours, I can make it another 2 hours.  God I'm cold!

5:00am- "her keys are on the counter"  OMG! I hear voices.  HELLO, HELLO, HELLO, "she's over here"  Cory comes running down the corner and I have never been so happy to see him.  I am immediately struck with embarrassment and shame for what I have just done to my loved ones.  Cory is shaking, I can see that in the dark through this window.   My dad is rocked and calling my mom on his cell phone immediately, my Auntie Bev is crying, 2 RCMP members are relived they have found me alive.  Cory is still shaking and fumbling around with his cell phone.  I tell him that he needs to go to Lyndi's and get the key.  He leaves.  I want the police to go home, I'm fine!  Dear God, please don't let this call be in the Fort Times.  My dad tells me my mom is a crying wreck.  I was cold and shivering before but now I am overwhelmed with emotions and shaking. 

5:20am- Cory gets back with the key and opens the door.  My dad comes over and says  he has to hug me and I see tears streaming down his face.  He hugs me for the 3rd time in my adult life. Cory hugs me.  We are all crying now.  I just want the police to go home. I'm fine. 

I find Kirk, Cathy, my mom and Tami  all at my house. Also a little post traumatic.  I am sooo sorry everyone.  Thank you for being there for Cory during this couple of hours of panic.  We are so blessed to have so many people who love us that we can call at 4am. I just wish that maybe a few less people had been called :)

 

This is were I hung out for 11 hours of my life and the lock that has been removed!

The town office staff felt really bad for what happened.  So bad in fact that they bought me a bouquet of flowers, and this lovely emergency survivial blacket.  I hope I never need to use this!!