Trapped! Now What?

Photo by Alex Simpson on Unsplash

I’m sure you’re wondering what the heck this is all about. Well, this is one of those most embarrassing moments. Except this one isn’t going to be seen on television, at least I hope not.

It was a normal day just like every other day. I was living in the house when this happened. It was 16 years ago.

This is not something you hear about everyday.

It was an unexpected thing.

I should have listened to my Mom. We always listen to those who are close to us and follow what they say, right? Well, that’s what we should do. What happens when we don’t? You’ll see.

It was early morning. I got out of bed and went out into the dining room to prepare for breakfast. As breakfast was winding down, I went back to my room and set out the clothes I was going to wear for the day.

I went into the bathroom and closed the door. I brushed my teeth. Everything was going normal. I took my shower. As I was exiting the shower, I noticed that I had forgotten to put my clothes on the hook. The hook was on the back of the bathroom door. Originally, there was no hook. But I got tired of placing my clothes on the toilet or the small area near the sink. So I finally put a hook on the back of the door. It only took a screwdriver and a couple of screws.

Now I had no clothes to put on. I went to turn the door handle and it stuck like it didn’t want to open. Uh oh, I thought. I had been experiencing problems with this doorknob several times. Usually, I would just wait a few minutes and then grip the handle again and it would work. The mechanism that goes into the wall would barely pull out of the hole and the rest would still be in there. On my second try, it would always pull all the way out. I figured I would just wait and try it again. It always worked. Not this time. I thought, “Great. Now I’m stuck in here.”

I yelled out to my Mom. Luckily, she had just retired and was home. Or I might have been stuck in there all day. I told her the situation. She went and got the screwdriver and tried to put it under the door. There was carpet in the hallway and with the transition to the bathroom flooring and the threshold, it wouldn’t fit. There was not enough room. Now what?

My Mom had told me to be careful. I had been stuck once before and managed to get out by working the knob until it opened up.

I was totally naked, except for a towel.

I was worried about having to call the fire department. She decided to go across the street to this guy, who we knew, who was in his 80s. He came back with some tools and pried the doorknob off and got me out.

Conclusion

Always listen to your Mom! She knew that I shouldn’t have closed the door. I should have just left it ajar a small amount (or a crack!) and then I wouldn’t have ended up in peril.

After our neighbor left, I got my clothes on and went to the local hardware store. I installed a new doorknob that day and I was back in business.

If the press had learned of this, this is what the headline would probably read:

“Naked Man trapped in bathroom rescued by Old Man”.

Have you ever been in a compromising situation like this? If so, can you tell us?

Until next time, happy reading.

-Matt