Realtor RESCUE 911

I can't believe it would happen twice in a lifetime!!! The last time something similar happened I was about 11 years old!!! Today, I ran into my brand new office and was the only one there. I needed to call Lezley and tell her I would pick her up - I had a Women's Council of Realtors board meeting and then a Class that I was heading out to....Lezley was coming with me. Before I was to call Lezley I needed to use the brand new restroom...we just moved in yesterday and obviously I was the first to use the new facility....No Toilet Paper, No problem...I took in my box of Kleenex. I looked at my phone and thought "I'll call Lezley while I in the restroom"....not cool....so I set the phone about 4 feet from the bathroom door on our new reception desk.

Once business was finished I went to open the door and the doorknob wouldn't budge...I pulled, I pushed, I shook the door....It wouldn't budge!!!! Aaaaaaaagh! I was the only one there....Lezley knew I had a meeting below and I hadn't called her....Scott knew I was going down the hill....the phone was 4 feet away, but on the other side of the door. So I banged on the wall between the bathroom and Subway next door....3 different times I banged on the wall for quite awhile (they figured we were hanging up pictures or doing more construction). So I looked around the bathroom and thought, I am going to have to find my own way out....no one knows that I am here!!! I decided to try and take the doorknob off, I looked to see if my belt buckle would work (I even looked, oh yeah, I don't have a belt on)...I looked to see if my metal buttons on my wool jacket would work....they were too thick (besides, I had just sewn a button on right before I left, it fell off when I put the jacket on).

I looked at the soap dispenser, it is brand new and had the little key taped onto the top of it. It was very teeny....so I worked for quite awhile and got one screw off....plus tried banging on the Subway wall again!!!.....

While I was working on taking the other screw off the door, I heard someone come in my office...I started yelling, HELLO!! HELP!!! HELP!!! A man's voice said, "Uhh hello, is everything okay?" "No" I screamed, "I am stuck in here, the door knob is jammed and I can't get out of here! Can you help me??" The man jiggled the outside and I continued to try to unscrew the 2nd screw in the knob. I asked the man to go and see if they had any tools at Subway...they said that they didn't have any and to just call the Contractor....AAAaaagh!!! He said "Who is in there? Is it you Lezley?"...I then asked the man to call Lezley.....he told her I was locked in the bathroom and to please bring over a screwdrive and a hatchet....She laughed hysterically and said she would bring some tools and her husband over.

As I was working on the door I asked the man through the door....by the way...."Who are you??"....It was Chad Phillips one of our local Title guys from American Secure Title company...he almost drove by, but decided to stop in and see the new office....I am so glad he stopped!! I told him that if we called the fire department it would be in the Morgan Newspaper - LOCAL REALTOR STUCK IN BATHROOM....he said it could be our little industry secret...but no...I am going to blog about the trauma for the whole world to know!

Soon, I got the doorknob off and Chad pulled the other side out but the door knob plunger was stuck into the door frame and wouldn't budge. I looked through the little hole, Chad Phillips, Lezley and Chad Rowser and Lynnette from Subway were all standing there laughing. As I looked at Chad Phillips through the little hole in the door, I asked, "By the Way, How is the Title business lately?" It was rather humorous.

Chad Rowser had a leatherman tool, everyone was taking turns working on the door. It took awhile, but we finally got the door open. I had been in there about 30 minutes and thus was late for my WCR meeting....but at least I was free! At least I had water and a place to sit....oh yeah....there was a little step ladder in there, I couldn't even sit on that, my butt was too big to sit on the ladder between the handrails.

Thanks to Chad Phillips - He gets my HERO of the Week award! You saved my Life!! Who knows how long I would have been in there had he not stopped in. Thank heaven for our title people. This incident is a lot funnier now that I am out of my trapped room! Hopefully next time the Subway people will come running if I am pounding on the wall!!

NOW.....The rest of the story......
When I was about 11 - the summer before Jr. High school. My family was on the way to Flaming Gorge for a vacation. We stopped at a gas station that had a pay bathroom. We paid a nickle and took turns on the one nickle. My Mom and Brenda went back to the car while I finished up. Once I was ready to go there were 4 or 5 locks on the door plus the lock on the doorknob...I tried everything but couldn't get the door open.

I was there for awhile when through the frosted glass window I saw someone walk by, I shook the door and yelled for help. A kind man was trying to get the door open from the other side. My Dad jumped out of our car and yelled "Get away from there, my daughter is in there".
"I know" yelled the man - "she is stuck and can't get out". Soon I could hear and see the shadows of my whole family outside the door (same type of laughter as today)! Then.....this was the traumatic part.....my mom said "Oh my gosh....I am NOT going to pay another Nickle just to get her out of there!!" Then I saw them all leave!!!!!! I remember this a clear as clear! (It's okay Mom, no reflection on you, I know money was tight ;-) )

My heart was racing as I looked around the gas station bathroom...I still remember the thoughts that ran through my head....Where will I sleep....How will I get food to eat...I can't believe they left me!!! But what seemed like forever, finally they came back with the gas station man...He had a key and unlocked the door! It was so embarassing walking out of that restroom! Boy did I get teased that whole trip!

Funny thing....Today, all the memories of my 11 year old incident came flooding back as I sat on the new tile floor trying to get the doorknob off! Hooray....I am a Survivor - twice!