embarrassing moment

Yeah, everyone loves to laugh at a Most Embarrassing Moment… when it belongs to someone else, haha.

My SUV has a keyless entry feature: a set of buttons on the driver’s side door, which is a genius invention. Although I have “mostly” been successful at keeping track of my car key, it’s reassuring to me that I can’t lock myself out of this vehicle.

But a few years back, I owned a Buick sedan. Never did love that car; among its quirks, it had a motorized retracting radio antenna that required several applications of WD-40 on a regular basis. The driver’s window quit working at one point. The engine was a V-6 which meant it was pretty thirsty on gas MPG. Eventually, I sold it to my friend for $500 and moved up to a Saturn. (Moment of silence for Saturn Motors… I was truly sad to see them go out of business.)

Back to the Embarrassing Moment: Picture, if you will, a fuel stop for the gas-guzzling Buick. After swiping my payment card, I stood there beside the thirsty vehicle with the gas-pump nozzle in my hand. Fueling… fueling… fueling… how many gallons does it take to fill a Buick? OK, replace the handle, put on the gas cap, and I was finally ready to get back on the road.

Except for one problem. The driver’s door wouldn’t open. And I could see that my keys were still installed in the car’s ignition. Tried the door again. Hmm. No luck. Yeah… keys were inside, and I was outside.

As I recollect, one of the guys who worked at the gas station came over to help. Did he have a slim-jim I could borrow? Nope… Did I have an AAA membership? No, unfortunately, and I knew they would be expensive (or unavailable) for a non-member.

I think we tried to open my door with a coat hanger, but for whatever reason, no successful solution was found. I was definitely up the creek without a paddle. Or a car key.

Until…

After we had tried “everything”…

I happened to glance around my vehicle. And a miraculous solution surfaced for my locked-door dilemma. Did I happen to mention that this car was a deep red in color? And, ironically, so were my embarrassed cheeks, as I noticed that my rear passenger-side window was halfway open.

I quickly reached in the window and miraculously regained access to my locked Buick. Thanked the gas station guy for his efforts to help, and drove away after we shared a good laugh. That’s a silly story and a goofy Embarrassing Moment!