The day before yesterday was kind of a rough day. I had a great day planned, gymnastics with Sydney in the morning, home for lunch and nap time and a visit with my friend Brenna who has just had a new baby. The day was going to be topped off by dinner out with my friend Paula on a patio sipping wine. I had been looking forward to it for days.
Unfortunately, that morning Sydney woke up really not feeling herself and both Paul and I agreed that we should take her to the doctor to get her checked out. The only time the doctor had available was in the late afternoon, so we had to cancel our planned visit with Brenna and the new baby. I was disappointed about missing the visit, but knew that we would reschedule soon so got on with my day.
On the way home from the doctor, I stopped quickly at the hardware store to pick up some Mason jars for a pickle recipe that I had been wanting to try. When I got home, Sydney and I got into the house, I plugged in my cell phone to charge it, knowing that I'd be heading out for dinner shortly with Paula. It was then that I decided to go and get the case of Mason jars from the car in the garage. Normally Sydney follows me around like a shadow, so I assumed that she would want to come with me, but for whatever reason, this time she didn't. So I quickly ran out to the garage and back to the house while she was playing in the living room...I was literally five feet away from the door when I saw Syd's impish little face smiling back at me as she slammed the door shut, locking me out and herself in the house all alone.
So here I am, in the backyard with no keys, no cell phone and Sydney now looking out the window wailing because I won't come in the house to be with her. I have to say that it was probably the most panicked that I have ever been since she was born, I had no idea what to do. We had no spare key hidden and I had no phone to call Paul or anyone else to come and help me. I tried to calm Syd down through the window, talking and singing to her as my mind is frantically racing, thinking what I can do.
I knocked on three neighbor's doors to see if I could use their phone, no one was home. Just when I was starting to lose hope, a man smoking a giant cigar and walking his dog came around the corner. I called out to him to ask him if he had a cell phone, which he didn't. "I've just locked my baby in the house!" I screamed hysterically. "I live just a block away," he said, "let me run home and get my phone for you!"
So this kind man ran all the way home and back to our house, panting and sweating, and handed me his cell phone. By this time Sydney is looking as though she might just collapse, snot is running down her little face, her eyes are red and swollen and she's crying harder and harder and yelling "Mama, Mama!" It was heartbreaking!
In the end, I got a hold of Paul, he directed me to a secret location of a hidden key (would have been a valuable piece of information 45 minutes earlier!) and I got into the house to get Syd.
I was so grateful for this man, Andrew's neighborly help. Not only for running a block away to get me his cell but for also calming me down as I was about to lose it and for watching and entertaining Sydney through the window while I fetched the spare key so that she wouldn't be loose in the house and risk hurting herself. He was a Godsend!
So today, Sydney and I took this bottle of wine and thank you card over to his house to say how much we appreciated him helping us. I only hope that one day I can repay the favour by being the same, kindhearted neighbour that he was.
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