Help When You Need It

Last night, my evening became more eventful than I would have liked.  It was a pretty normal Thursday evening to start: drop Abigail off at ballet, drive home and feed the two littles, head back out the door with the littles to go pick up Abigail after dance class……..and that’s when the wheels kinda flew off the bus. 

I was in a hurry, and I have gotten into a bad habit of dropping my keys and handbag in the front seat so I have both hands free to load up baby Zara in the back.  I told Zander to go around to his side of the car and to climb in and wait for me to come buckle him up.  Usually this works just fine, but as I was fiddling with my stuff in the front seat, Zander was yelling that he didn’t know why, but he was having trouble getting his door to cooperate.  I shifted the baby on my hip, and started heading for Zander when I heard buttons being pressed and the door I had just walked away from swinging shut.  Zander did something more with his door, shutting it fully, and that’s when I realized that we had just been locked out of the car.  Now, in all my forty-three years, I have never locked myself out of my car, and I was incredibly frustrated when I realized that I had just become a card carrying member of that club.  Zander’s eyes grew wide as the realization hit him, and he immediately started apologizing, afraid that I would be angry with him.  I couldn’t be.  No matter what struggles the poor kid had been having with the doors, I’m the one who dumbly set my keys down in the front seat.  I was just so thankful that I hadn’t buckled the baby in yet.  Since my bag containing my cell phone was also still in the car, I had no choice but to swallow my pride and head to the neighbor’s house.  My next door neighbors are both in their 80s.  I have met and spoken to the husband many times, but as for his wife, I have only waved to her while heading out to my car.  She was the one who answered the door, and in my frantic state, I immediately started blurting out my troubles.  I was horrified when she said, “Nice to meet you too!”.  I didn’t even think to introduce myself first, and I felt my face turning different shades of red.  She very kindly invited us in, and after some discussion about what do to next, she called for the police.  We were assured that an officer would be sent over, and the next few minutes felt like hours as I tried to keep my very busy son from investigating every square inch of our neighbor’s house.  In reality, it didn’t take too long for the officer to arrive, however, he apologetically informed me that he did not have a kit to break into my car.  The two options he gave me where that he could smash in my window or get me a tow service with a break-in kit.  Smashing in my window was not going to work for me, but within a couple minutes, he was back to tell me that a buddy in the neighboring town was on the way with a kit to help.  Sure enough, a sheriff arrived a short time after, and with my permission, got to work on my car.  Apparently, since they have made these newer cars harder to break into, well…….they’re harder to break into.  While the sheriff was working on my car, another local officer arrived and starting working to open a different door.  They were all trying to quickly get the job done while saving me the time and expense of waiting for a tow company. 

All three officers were patient with the task at hand, patient and kind to my very excited son, and helpful and respectful to me.  What they DIDN’T know was that I am a recent widow, and I have seen my kids rattled at the first sign or thought that something has also happened to their mom.  I had no way of letting my daughter know why I wasn’t there to pick her up, and I was stressing out over the thought of what she might being going through.  They didn’t know that on the inside, I was berating myself for not having as clear of a head as I usually do, and mourning the fact that I no longer had my partner to lean on in these kinds of situations.  They didn’t know that their calm kindness and respect was what this frazzled mom was needing in that moment.  They did get that door open, and while I thanked them many times, they responded as if it was no big deal.  In the grand scheme of what a police officer may face in the course of a day, I suppose it wasn’t, but I needed help, and they were there.  

I know that defunding the police is the hot topic right now, especially here in the Seattle area.  I am both saddened and angered by that idea.  I get that there have been wrongs……terrible wrongs…..by some officers in their treatment of others.  To be clear, not only is that not okay, it is reprehensible and unacceptable.  I also believe that throwing the baby out with the bathwater is incredibly irresponsible.  I want to go on record as saying that I so appreciate these men and women who put their lives on the line every day.  Last night, they were helping a woman and her small children who were locked out of their vehicle and home.  Today, they may be answering that hard and dangerous domestic abuse call.  They may be called out to the scene of a fatal accident or on the way to deliver bad news to an unsuspecting family member.  They may be rescuing a child from an abductor or helping your elderly loved one who fell down the stairs.  They’ve been there during moments of domestic terrorism, calamities of nature, and whatever else could possibly be thrown at them.  They also are patrolling our streets while we’re sleeping or away, working to insure that we and our loved ones were safe.  Tonight I give a huge shout out to the officers from the Snohomish PD and the Sheriff of Monroe.  Thank you so much for all that you do.  I’m praying for you, and God bless you and your families. 

And that’s my two cents……..