So, just after Rani arrived we asked the landlady to get us two more sets of house keys. Kir and I had been shared a single set, and we wanted all three of us to have one each. The landlady looked into it, and eventually told us that our front gate had a type of lock that you could not get extra keys made for, and if we wanted more sets of keys, she’d need to have the lock on the front gate changed. We agreed to this, much to her disappointment. Somehow this resulted in a new lock on the gate, and only a single set of extra keys. But we’re doing okay, although the new lock looks rickety.

Tonight we went out to dinner with various friends who will remain unnamed. When we got back, Kir went to unlock the gate while I stayed in the car to back it into the yard. This plan was foiled when Kir was unable to unlock the gate. After much struggle, we realized that the old lock had locked itself and was holding the gate shut.

We decided Kir needed to go over the wall into the yard, and unlock the gate from the inside. Said wall is about nine feet high and a foot thick. I pulled the car up next to the wall for him to climb on, and Kir picked the spot he was going to climb. He didn’t want to, though. I could tell. Something in his posture. I, on the other hand, though it would be kind of fun. So I pointed out that I’d be lighter when climbing onto the car, and reduce the risk of damaging the roof. Kir gladly acquiesced.

Up I went. First the I got onto the trunk, and then I was standing on the roof. I reached my arms up to the wall. It was too high to heave myself up – my hands were about a foot above my waist. I pondered. On a whim, I swung my leg up and, miraculously, (thank god for my yoga, I think) I got my leg up onto the wall. I began to wiggle over.

At this point, both Rani and Kir began to worry. Rani tells me to be careful and Kir wants me to watch out. I replied, irritably, that I was fine, and Kir told her “She’s surprisingly good at this stuff.” I wiggled all the way over, and slid down the inside of the wall, hands still hooked on the edge. Then I dropped. No problem, except for getting tangled in all the vines that grow in our yard.

I unlocked the door and looked at Kir. “Surprisingly good?”

“Well, you’re not the sporty type, but you’re good at the tomboyish hijinks.” Since that’s a pretty good description of me, I couldn’t exactly complain.

I parked the car while Kir covered the old lock in duct tape.

I seem to be pretty unscathed by the experience. A few scratches on my arms, and some green stains on my pants, but nothing that won’t easily heal or wash out.

<<|>>

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USAID is one of many donors for the project I work for. The views expressed herein are the author’s own views and do not necessarily reflect those of the author’s employer or especially those of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. And I mean it. I probably give the US government heart attacks.