Christmas List Addendum
This afternoon, Mike, my wife and I were sitting around the kitchen table, shooting the breeze and having a good time when we heard a knock at the door. I dawdled getting there and when I looked out the peephole I saw no one but could hear someone talking to our neighbor. I opened the door a crack and Mike and I peered out into the hallway where we saw someone telling our neighbor...
"There's a fire in an apartment downstairs, get your cats."
Wait, what? WHAT?
I closed the door and told Keri the news. She said she'd take care of the little bundles of joy and that I was in charge of the electronics.
Laptops? Check! Back up drive? Check! Larger backup drive with all my pictures, home videos and interviews? Check!
Mike had his stuff in order as well (plus a two liter of Mountain Dew for the road), and into the street we went. Goodbye belongings! I hope you're still here when we return!
The plan was to get to the car (so the cats would feel safer) and get the car away from the building (which was of course about to be engulfed in flames! OMG!). However, just as we got out there, the second fire truck arrived blocking Leeland in. So, to the curb we went, Josie in Keri's lap and Rini in mine.
Everything turned out okay, thankfully, and we were back in the apartment within ten minutes. It turns out the apartment directly below us decided to cook something in the oven a little longer than they should have. But the experience certainly got our attention. I don't think our adrenaline high came down until at least 3 or 4 hours later.
However, now if anyone ever asks me, "your house is on fire and you can only take what you can carry, what do you grab?" I can tell them, with certainty, the clothes on my back, my kitten, my work and my memories.
I'd like to add a new thing to my christmas list this year: A fire extinguisher.
9 December 2010 08:51am UTC • 217 views • 4 comments
Tagged with fire, emergency, materialism, possessions, mike, keri, apartment
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4 comments
Peon Peetie
9 December 2010 09:46am UTC
woah! I'm glad you're all okay!
Sailing Master Keri
9 December 2010 05:26pm UTC
Of course, you mean "my kittens," not just "my kitten," right?
Erik the Redish-orange
9 December 2010 08:46pm UTC
I noticed that, too Keri. He also didn't mention his wife, so maybe he's assuming you're responsible for yourself and one of the kittens.
Sailing Master Keri
9 December 2010 09:03pm UTC
Yeah, I guess so!