Locked In

A few years ago, after a 41-hour train trip through Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbia, Bob and I wearily arrived home in Romania at six o'clock in the morning to discover that we were locked out of our apartment. Our landlord, who had come in and locked a dead bolt that we never used, was away in Germany. After help from the police and neighbors, we finally got inside.

This time we were locked IN! It was Wednesday, March 31st, after our first night in the lovely apartment we are renting here in San Miguel. Niece Natalie, Bob, and I were setting out on a day trip to the city of Guanajuato to see the famed Mexican mummies (Museo de las Momias). We had a bus to catch, and 30 minutes to get to the station. Bob put the key in the door, and voila--nothing happened. The three of us each tried fidgeting with the key, but to no avail. We had to think fast. Natalie went to our third-floor rooftop level and pondered whether she could shimmy down the iron window grates protecting our second-floor apartment windows. Bob vetoed that idea while I tried to contact a neighbor. Instead, Natalie hailed down a passerby and asked for his help. Bob slipped the key under the door for the man to take. It worked! He was able to jiggle the key in the key-hole until we were freed. The man crossed himself, saying "Gracias a Dios." Had we been told there was a trick to unlocking the only door to our apartment? No, we had not.

Our day in Guanajuato unfolded smoothly, not like it had started out. This morning, I opened up Eat, Pray, Love to chapter 54, where I left off yesterday. The first thing I read was that Elizabeth Gilbert was locked IN one morning at the ashram she was visiting in India. I love coincidences, so I was quite happy, but not surprised, to read of another traveler's experience similar to mine. I am reminded that every day there are adventures waiting to emerge. When I lived in Palestine, I learned to expect the unexpected. "Expect the unexpected" became one of my mantras. Expecting the unexpected helps me face the more challenging adventures of life with patience and a sense of humor. For now, we will not use the dead bolt until we meet up with our landlord.

Here is Bob, trying his best to turn our apartment key in a worn-out locking mechanism.

A happier moment, when we first arrived at our new apartment, not knowing there was any problem with the door lock.