Playing the Glad Game: the Christmas Edition
The Cat Toy That Saved Christmas
Originally uploaded by inkognitohPoor old Lola has not coped with her visit to my friend's flat. She mewled and squawked her way through Christmas Eve and was awake all night batting at my hand and leaping on my legs etc. On Christmas morning when she was still howling tragically at the front door. I decided to carry her out into the hall to show her nothing worth seeing/doing/climbing on was out there. Of course the door promptly swung shut and I was locked out on Christmas morning in my pyjamas clutching a cat.
Having made sure the kitten was vaguely secure in the foyer section of the hall closest to the flat, (and having already door knocked every flat I could find in the building) I went downstairs to seek help. London is eerily desserted over Christmas. Very luckily I found a couple of women walking along and one of them agreed to let me use her phone - with the Yellow Pages in the lobby of the flats, placed there as if by magic - to find a Locksmith. The first Locksmith we found quoted me an outrageous price which after having phoned some more seemed cheap so we called him back. The woman turned out to be a District Nurse and went off to tend a patient, promissing to come back past to make sure I was okay. Bless her.
The Locksmith did eventually show up and was not thrilled about being called out at Christmas. I must confess that I was not thrilled at having to call him out at Christmas and was highly emotional and distressed. He demanded cash before he would open the door (a simple swipe of a strong plastic sheet past the latch of the Yale lock) and got quite arsey about it which saw me collapse in tears while trying to explain I only had a cheque book inside but could go to the cash machine etc. Anyway, long story short, it ended with two miserable people shouting angry words at each on Christmas and me £140 poorer.
I then came in to cook a sumptuous roast lunch, watch Pollyanna and warm my feet under the kitten who has slept all day long after causing so much havoc.
What's to be glad about? I'm glad that the Locksmith (as arsey as he was) sacrificed his Christmas morning to come let me in. That no matter how painful paying it out was I can afford the £140 and for so many other things that I'll start sounding like Oprah and boring myself if I continue to list them :)