Learning new words

I learned a new word in Spanish this week, cerrajero, which means lock smith. Friday morning we had just gotten to the site and started working and Jake realized that he needed more ziplock bags. Any artifacts that we dig up have to be in a bag that is labeled where we dug it up. We had meant to get some more the night before when we went to store, but we forgot. So Jake left his workers there and we headed to the store. It is about a 15 minute drive from the site to where our cabin is. The cabin is basically across the street from the grocery store we use. Jake parked the truck, I jumped out and he locked the doors. We headed in and got the bags and some treats for his workers and walked out the door. As we got closer to the truck I said, “Does it sound like the truck is still on?”

Indeed the truck was still on, and indeed when Jake’s hand went into his pocket to retrieve the keys they were not there. Now, in Jake’s defense the truck we are renting doesn’t turn off when you take the key out of the ignition. It’s weird, so when you get out of the truck, even if you have the keys in your hand the engine is still running. The sound of the truck still being on when we went inside wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Where do you even begin? If we were at home we would call AAA and they would be there super fast and we would be on our way. There are no public phone books, as they would be stolen, and there is no such thing as 411. Jake called Sonia, she is the woman we are renting the cabin from, and got her voice mail. Strike one.

Jake headed back inside the store to see if they had the number for a locksmith while I climbed in the back of the truck and laughed. He returned with the number and it turned out that he was really busy and couldn’t come and help us. Strike two.

Jake walked across the street to the fruit stand we go to and asked if they had the number of a lock smith, and bought some avocado while he was there. He came back to the truck with one of the guys from the fruit stand behind him. Apparently they have the card of a lock smith at the fruit stand but no one could seem to find it. Strike three.

Mean while I am sitting in the back of the truck eating a Gansito, which is kind of like a little Debbie cake. It has yellow cake, a cream filling, strawberry jelly filling, and is coated in chocolate with chocolate sprinkles on top. They are quite yummy and a recent discovery for me. After 20 minutes Sonia called Jake back and said that she was on a picnic and for Jake to call her husband. He said he would bring someone to unlock the truck. Jake told him that we were in the parking lot of the store, but we watched his white car turn down the road where the cabin is and Jake started walking. About 10 minutes later the white car pulled up next to the truck with Jake in the back seat, wait, with Jake scrunched in the back seat.
It took the guy about 2 minutes to use a screw driver to wedge the door open enough for him to stick a wire down and unlock the door. Yay! We are in the truck! It only cost about $30 for him to do that! Jake is in the wrong business I’m telling ya. Needless to say we were happy to be back in the truck and on the way back to the site. It only took about 40 minutes longer than it should have and wasted about 1/8th of a tank of gas and $30. Jake was able to laugh about it the next day.
From now on we will always lock the door with the key and not use the button on the inside of the door.

Mandy and Jake