Callie, Why'd Ya Do It?!

After 4 days in good ole' N of J, it was time to head back to the Outer Banks. I woke-up early, got myself together, & began to pack up the car. Everything was just about in. Dad & I got the dogs (Riley & Callie) in the car and shut the door because Callie is an escape artist, runs too fast to be caught, and doesn't listen. Do not call The Dog Whisperer, we have no obedience consistency in our home & it's our fault she's a pain.

I put the dog food in the back of the Tahoe, and just as I shut the cargo door, I heard it. "Click." Yep, that little bitch stepped on the door lock button and managed to lock me out. YES, my keys were in the car at the time. No, I was NOT happy or finding the humor in the situation.

Step 1. Call On-Star. This is what they do. It says so in all of the commercials. I dialed 411 and got the 800# after suffering through an unusually long VRU (which I HATE). As soon as I hung-up,I forgot the number. DAMN! I redialed, and while listening to the VRU, AGAIN, Dad says, "Just have them dial the # for you." So, I halfway hear the number, and wait for the option to auto-dial it at a cost of $1,000. There's a trick there, they only do that with cell phones. MOTHER OF GOD! Third time is a charm, and I write the # down. I get a very nice service rep who wants to help. Key word: WANTS. There is one catch to using On-Star, you have to keep paying for the service... which we did not. My hope was that they could reactivate our account and just charge me for what we missed. I didn't care what it would cost. I have AMEX and I was ready to use it. No can do, it's been to long. This is when fear stepped in (it's almost 90 degrees)

Step 2. Call 911. Surely, they can help. "911. What is your emergency?" I start to explain, CLICK! They hang up me. WHAT?!?! I call back, plead my case, and am asked to call the Police Department.

Step 3. Call the PD. I grab the phone book, and note the time. They've been in there for 20 minutes. Can I find the phone number for the dang Po-Po?? Nope. I am frustrated and scared and I can't find the number. Note to self: write Police Number on the COVER of the phone book!!! I call. The Policeman explains that this is not considered an emergency. HUH?! He suggests calling a Locksmith. Enter Melt Down mode.

Step 4: Freak out. 30 minutes have passed and the dogs are now laying down. NOT GOOD! Dad calls a friend who owns a towing company who will come, but it may take 20 minutes. At Chip's recommendation, I also call AAA, in case Dad's friend can't get in. AAA considers this an emergency, thank goodness, and has to give me a 30 minute timeframe, but will escalate the request. They are there in just 10 minutes. The man was in the car in mere seconds and says, "Can't you just teach her to UN-lock the door?" Yeah, like we didn't try that.

The lessons?

1. Keep your keys on your body when you are not in the car.
2. Ensure that your small animals (and children) don't pull this stunt on you.
3. Love your AAA people.