Locked!

With the new year come new beginnings and yesterday I was to move into a friend's apartment, apartment-sitting while he travelled. At lunchtime I met up to get the keys. There are a lot of doors involved - it's a city centre apartment - so before we parted I made sure that we went outside and that I made my way in, door by door, key by key. No problems. On my way home from work I bought some bed linen. Most of my stuff was in my parents', so I was going there ultimately, but I stopped in the apartment to drop off my purchases. No problems. Finally I collected a suitcase and my laptop and got a lift into town. I made my way through each door, I turned key after key in each lock. I stood outside my door, suitcase by my side, and unlocked one lock, then.... The last lock wouldn't open. The key turned, stopped, but no give on the door. One of my new neighbours walked by and, in case it was just me, I asked them to have a go. No, it wasn't just me. I struggled for ten, fifteen minutes more, but was getting nowhere. In the end I went back to my parents.

This morning at nine, I stood outside the locksmith's locked door. When he finally opened he told me it would cost me. What choice did I have? A young apprentice was sent to do the job. Several ploys yielded no results, so in the end he had to drill into the cylinder. Several drills bit the dust, another locksmith had to come along, an hour later, finally, we got in. Not an auspicious start.