Laundry

Two weeks is just enough time to mean you either have to carry a big bag, get smelly, or do laundry. I chose to do laundry. This proved something of an adventure.

First I had to find the laundry. The timeshare community had one, but to find it I had to call the front desk and beg for directions. It was in a second floor room in a building down the hill and around the corner from where we stayed. That second floor business proved important later on.

The machines only took exact change. I had enough to start the wash, but not enough for the dryer. I decided the best solution was to start the wash, then run off to the grocery store for juice. We were running out anyway. *shrug*.

What I neglected to note was the combination of the key-pad entry and a cut off time. I arrived at the laundry with enough time to move my load to the dryer, but didn’t even think twice about how close to “closing” time it was getting when I stepped out for a minute.

I couldn’t get back in. The code the front desk gave me no longer worked. I had left the clear story window open enough for a body to get through, but the distance from the sill to the outside staircase daunted me.

I was standing on the step reaching up when my daughter caught up with me. She was naturally appalled. I’d already decided I couldn’t quite make the scramble even if I could actually catch hold of the windowsill, but apparently The Girl didn’t get that memo. She squawked at me like a jay bird until I gave up and went back to the unit with her. My only consolation was that if I couldn’t get in at my stuff, neither could anyone else.

Bright and early the next morning there I was trying to get in. The code wouldn’t work! I tried several times, then went back to eye that open window. Luckily someone else came along and got in just fine with me right behind. I guess the timer in the lock was set a few minutes late.

20 year ago I’d have gone through that window right off.