The rush for lost time slapped me in the face with panic. I can't be late for class during the first week of school, besides that I live a ten-minute walk from campus and it is the middle of the day. There is no reason for me to be late. . .
I grabbed my backpack, checked the contents and hoped for the best. To be honest I had know clue what I needed for class.
The whole apartment shook as I ran down the stairs. . . I am not calling myself fat - I live in an old building, they shake and make funny noises when anyone moves - trust me.
I ripped my coat out of the closet, slipped my arms into their designated holes and proceeded to the door.
I grabbed the chilled doorknob, twisted it, and pulled it towards me - it didn't move.
"Why would someone deadbolt the door in the middle of the afternoon?"
I twisted the latch a few times, but it hadn't been locked.
Once again I grabbed the doorknob, twisted it, pulled it towards me and nothing.
Working at the Salina City Pool for the past few summers I have become a professional door-opener. I proceed to shake the doorknob in an attempt to wiggle the door free from the grasp of its frame. First I shook it softly, then a bit more rough until I found myself breaking out into a sweat and realizing that I wasn't shaking the knob, but more-or-less it was me moving back and forth. . . the door hadn't budged.
But still I wasn't worried. I was going to master this door. After-all it is a piece of aluminum and I am a living, breathing being who is currently on her way to school. SCHOOL. I needed to open this door and fast.
I decided to take a different approach. Pushing-up against the door, twisting the doorknob and then pulling it open. I can't explain why or how this works, but it does I have done it in the past. And so with all my strength I pushed up against the door until my shoulder was throbbing, twisted the knob which by the way had now become quite warm and the pulled as hard as I could towards me. Nothing.
"I can't get out," yes I yelled this in my apartment and no one responded, "Is anyone home? I need help I can't get out of our house - Hello?"
No response.
Panic.
I now know what it feels like to be claustrophobic.
I was suffocating in my own home.
"I can't get out! HELLO?"
The house creaked.
I had to get to class.
Back to the door.
I placed one foot on the wall, grabbed the hot, sweaty doorknob and pulled. I only attempted this one other time nervous of the outcome if I were to get the door open. . . an image of me falling to the ground as the door breaks free and hits me in the crouch wasn't worth going to class.
"What are you doing?" my roommate Ashly had been up stairs.
I wasn't alone!
I wasn't going to die alone!
Yes, the thought of never being able to open the door and dying in the old apartment of mine had crossed my mind.
"Ashly, I can't open the door. I have class. Help!"
She laughed at me.
"You can't open the door? Is it locked?" she laughed again.
These were both very logical questions to ask, but really - I can be kind of spacey sometimes, this is true - but of course I checked if it was locked.
"Help me," I was panicing.
Ashly grabbed the doorknob, twisted it and pulled, she pulled again and then again. Nothing. Ashly went through the whole process that I had previously gone over. The door didn't even budge.
Welp, I wasn't going to die alone, but we were both going to die. . . We were locked in.
I broke down and started whining.
"I have a cl-a-s-s, what am I going to do?" I will admit I was beginning to get hysterical.
We played with the idea of having someone come and push from the outside, we even attempted to called our neighbors, but none of them answered.
"The window," Ashly looked determined, "Grab me a knife and I will pop-out the screen."
I did as I was told. After-all Ashly was my only hope.
"It is kind of a long way down," said Ashly, "are you sure you want to do this?"
"I will be okay," I was being driven by my motivation to get to class.
"Kelsie, there are stairs under this window - where are you going to land?" but even though she was concerned she continued to pull the screen out of the window.
At that very moment a couple who live fairly close to our apartment was walking across the lawn.
"Hey! Up here!" waving my hands back and forth I yelled, "We are stuck inside our apartment. Will you help us? Can you see me?!"
For a moment the two on the ground scanned the building and then spotted us. They both seemed a bit confused, but proceed in our direction.
It didn't take long for them to come billowing into our living room.
The door was open.
I thanked them over and over. Praised Ashly and ran to class.
Happy Friday my dears.
Oh, and the reason the door wouldn't open was because of a dang Christmas light plug that got stuck in-between the frame and the door. . . That is a sign that it is time to take down the Christmas decorations.
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