Independence Day

In·de·pen·dence
1)Not determined or influenced by someone or something else
2)Not dependent on or affiliated with a larger or controlling entity
3)Not relying on others for support, care, or funds; self-supporting
4)Not dependent on others for livelihood

This last weekend, while everyone was celebrating our nation's independence, I found myself in a state of utter DEPENDENCE. Rarely do I find myself in a situation that I can't get myself out of, and I'm here to tell you that it can be quite an unnerving experience. Here's how it went down:

During this particular night, I had plans to meet some people downtown for drinks at English pub called Brits. However, those plans were not starting until much later into the night. So, I joined up with a few friends who were going to a bonfire at the home of a friend of theirs. I didn't know anyone there except the people I came with. We got there, pulled up some chairs and started chatting, occasionally running into the house (which was brand new, and really nice) for drinks, food, etc.

Recognizing that I needed to leave soon to join up with the gang at Brits, I decided that it might be wise to visit the bathroom. I was feeling a bit shy at this point, and opted to try to find it myself instead of asking the homeowners where it was. I found it, walked in, shut the door and locked it, making sure it was locked well. The lock was the kind where you push in a little button by the side of the doorknob.

Now, theoretically, this type of lock should come unlocked with a simple twist of the doorknob from inside the bathroom. Aparently, this doorknob had not gotten the memo. I twisted and turned - nothing. I tried to pull the little lock knob out by force, but to no avail. Yes, dear friends, I had managed to LOCK MYSELF INTO A BATHROOM.

If you read this regularily, you should know that if something strange is going to happen, it will probably happen to me. Spill a drink all over my new outfit? Right over here! Trip and fall when trying to "play it smooth"? I'm your girl! I'm just not what you'd call a very "smooth" person. However, I usually don't get myself trapped myself into little spaces with no one knowing I'm there.

I started to feel quite embarassed about the whole situation. I also could not stop laughing and didn't want anyone to think I'd been driven mad by my bathroom prison. So, I didn't want to cry for help or pound on the door. Come on! I had just met all of these people. Can't I have at least two dates before its revealed how big a loser I can be? I kept trying to twist open the doorknob with no luck. At one point I actually started to calculate how long I could live in the bathroom without anyone ever finding me. I figured I could last about a month or so with the water and fresh air that I had access to.

After a bit, one of the homeowners happened by and heard my repeated doorknob twists. She asked me if I was alright, and I explained my dilemma to her. She told me to climb out the window. Fortunatly, we were on the first floor. Unfortunately, I was wearing a pretty white skirt.

Soon, the other homeowner heard us chatting and came over. While the first one went to work on the window screen from the outside, the second one went to town on the doorknob with a screwdriver. It was a race to see who would prevail, but right as we got the window screen off, the door flew open and I was free!

They were very apologetic and said that they had never tried to lock that door before. I told them I was glad I could help them in their home-owning efforts. Then I ditched to go downtown. Its funny, my embarassment wore off as soon as I was free because I immediately began to tell everyone I saw what had just happened. It is a great thing to be independent, to be sure. But, sometimes its ok to be dependent as well.

Well, as long as you have nice people who are willing to dismantle their house to help you out, that is.