UP AT BAT IN THE BOTTOM OF THE NINTH
“It was a great and humbling feeling knowing they all chose me to be the one to unlock this car.”
Editor's note: We wanted to make this call into a dramatic piece but quickly realized that Bill’s own words--and humble heart--said more than anything we could offer. We hope you enjoy the story.
Well, I got the call this morning from a girl who was crying on the phone. She asked if I could come and do a car lockout.
When I arrived, the scene was chaotic: several men were running back-and-forth to their vehicles trying to find a way to get into the car. When I pulled in behind her at the gas pump and got out of my truck, one of the men came running over to me and asked if I had a screwdriver so he could try and make entry through her door handle. I told him I was a locksmith and I would get the vehicle open for her. I walked up and shook her hand and informed her that everything would be okay and to relax and don't panic.
As I walked back to my truck, a police officer pulled up right behind my vehicle. She had called 911 just before calling me. It took me about three minutes to get there, so I was there before any of the first responders were. I had no idea that she had called anybody else. The police officer asked me if we needed to break the window, and I told him no, that I had other tools I would use.
As I started to work on the vehicle, the fire department then pulled up, and five firefighters came to the car. One of them carried a pretty massive bar, which he said they were going to pry the door frame apart or use to break the window to gain entry. They all stood around the vehicle as I started working on the car. As I would get close to the pull knob on the door, the firefighters would ‘oh’ and ‘ah’ as it would barely miss it. My tool was not bent quite enough to reach it. I just pulled the tool back out, bent it more, and slid it back through the top of the door, hooking the pull button to unlock the vehicle. One of the firefighters said over the top of the car to another one, "See? That's how a pro does it." Maybe glad to not be using the massive bar he had in his hand. LOL
The temperature at that time was about 106.
She trusted my company and my judgment over all the other options and resources she had available at that moment in time. The police officer or the fire department could've easily came in and broke the window and opened the vehicle. It was a great and humbling feeling knowing they all chose me to be the one to unlock this car.
It took me about 45 seconds to a minute to gain entry.
Once I finally got it open, the woman grabbed the baby and started hugging her. She was a little one, only four or five months old. I could tell Mom was very scared. The baby, on the other hand, might not have known the difference. By the time the baby was free, there was a total of five firefighters, one police officer, the mother, and several other bystanders. It was extremely satisfying to know that I had finally completed my first child lock-out. It was even more satisfying knowing that I was not going to charge the customer for it, and felt perfectly OK with that.
This did feel like the ninth inning: two outs, full count, and the fastball was just pitched down the middle of the plate. You miss every home run you never swing at... and this one we hit out of the park!
Thank you for taking the time to ask me these questions. It is hard to answer and talk about myself.
Kwik Pick Lock and Safe offers FREE lockout service for children or pets. If you need locksmith services for your Surprise, El Mirage, or Phoenix home or auto, call today 623-300-1889.
