A Perfect Sunday? Not so much.

Well, I was looking forward to some “me” time this past Sunday, and I decided that a long run in Mono Cliffs was in order. A bright, crisp morning greeted me and while I was tired and worn out, I thought, “Just get going, one foot in front of the other.” Off I set.

Well, the run was just fantastic. The trails were empty and dry, and I decided to go the long route. While I ran, I considered some family and business issues I had been grappling with, and then in a flash, I also had an inspired art idea that I wanted to tackle. A Perfect Sunday, I thought. Happy day!

I walked the end of the trail back to my car, thinking about getting a warm coffee on the way home. I reached for my key that I had slipped off of the ring and hidden in the tiny zippered back pocket of my running pants. Something didn’t feel right. I groaned…I had taken the house key off of the ring, not the car key. UGH.

My cell phone was inside the car. At the lot where I parked, there were two cars. Should I wait for someone to show up? Who knew when the owners would come back? I decided to walk into Mono Centre and hope for a payphone. It felt like more kilometres than it actually was, as I was a getting very shivery at this point with the sweat rapidly chilling on my clothing. At least I had the good endorphins still flowing.

I went to the Centre and lo and behold, there, outside of the closed pub, was the old British phone booth! I picked up the freezing cold plastic handset and put it to my ear. A screechy noise, met with a loud hum, overlaying the dial tone. Well, I decided to give it a go. I used my calling card to place a call to my husband for help, guessing with all of the noise the timing of punching in the numbers. I thought I heard a ringing! Yes, my husband answered!

I started screaming over the malfunctioning phone noise – “I’m in MONO CENTRE AND I LOCKED MY KEYS IN MY CAR!”

“Hello? Hello?” and then a click. A definite click. He couldn’t hear me.

The pub sign said that they opened at 11:30, so I had a bit of time to kill and think about my mistake, and kick a few stones while I was at it. I bought the car only a short while ago, and I wasn’t sure that we had an extra key made yet. OK, I was sure that I hadn’t had a spare made as I’m the one that takes care of these details, but I wanted to trick myself into believing that maybe somebody else had done it.

Finally, the cook and the hostess of the pub arrived for work. I tapped on the window and they let me in to use the pub phone. (Thank you to the staff at Mono Cliffs Inn!) This time, my husband heard me loud and clear. And confirmed that there was not a spare key. So my next call was to a tow truck for lock service.

The good news is, the tow truck driver arrived really quickly and only charged me a minimal amount, probably trying to hold back a laugh at this ridiculous looking woman shivering in her silly running tights.

Bethany Lee is the online editor of kidsinthehills.ca, a sister site to inthehills.ca, where she also has a regular blog.

Photo by Gillian Gauthier.