Saturday night we returned home around 10PM. We were feeling pretty good after an evening out with friends, but it wasn't to last. We parked the truck and Jennifer got out and went to open the front door. Only the lock wouldn't turn. We kept messing with it for a while, but finally had to admit that it was broken and we had a big problem. Like many houses here, all of the windows have iron bars over them so breaking window wouldn't get us in the house. We do have other exterior doors, but they are bolted from the inside and not at ground level. I've got lots of tools I could have used to remove the lock, but they are behind two doors in a locked tool box. Since the door in question is about 2” thick and solid wood my shoulder certainly wasn't going to convince it to give.
We started talking about who we could call. We tried our landlord's agent here in town, but he didn't answer the phone. We called a couple of friends who also didn't answer the phone. Jennifer decided to walk around the corner to a friend's house. We knew she was home because we had just dropped her off.
While she was gone, I kept trying to think of a way to get into the house. I like to think of myself as a pretty resourceful person. I kept thinking of things like- if I could get my neighbor to let me onto her roof and manage to climb/jump from there onto our roof. However, the bottom line was I could not find a way into the house that didn't require the use of something like a hacksaw or cutting torch. So I kept standing there in the cold thinking longingly of the “jaws of life” tool that fireman carry. That would have been pretty handy.
Eventually, Liane arrived without my wife which I thought was a little strange. Liane was armed with a couple of ideas that had worked for her in the past when she had a lock quit working. Unfortunately they were of no help in our current situation. She started asking about other ways into the house. I kept hoping she would come up with something I hadn't. Alas, I had a ready answer why each option she mentioned wouldn't work.
After a few minutes, Jennifer returned with Liane's neighbor in tow. The neighbor was Alma and she was trying to call a locksmith she had used before who was very trustworthy. Our poor Spanish was a bit of a barrier to communication and she took off back up the street. She returned in a few minutes with a young couple. Once they arrived at our house introductions were made all around. The young couple was Hector and Abigail. Abigail was Alma's daughter. Hector spoke good English so he got the job of translator. They borrowed the phone and called the locksmith. A family member answered and said he wasn't there, but they would try to reach him and have him call us. So we waited. Outside. In the cold.
After about 15 mintues, Hector said that he knew another locksmith that was also very trustworthy. He did all the locks for Hector's new house. He said if we didn't want to wait then we could try to reach this locksmith. However, he didn't have a phone number for him so we would have to go by his place. Any activity sounded good at this point, so Hector, Abigail, Liane, Jennifer, and myself piled into the Explorer and headed out to find a locksmith.
The first locksmith that we had called was on the way to the second one, so we stopped by there first. As we pulled up outside, Jennifer and I realized that this was the locksmith we had used to have copies of the keys made when we moved in. Unfortunately, no one was there. Hector called again and learned that the locksmith was out in Juarez and wouldn't be able to come to Centro that night. The locksmith recommended someone else for us to call. The locksmith's recommendation turned out to be the same locksmith that did the locks on Hector's house.
We called the second locksmith, but got no answer so we climbed back in the Explorer and headed for his place. Had Hector not been there to provide directions I never would have found it. We drove to the Cathedral and parked on the street. Then we took off walking down the street on the Southwest side of the Cathedral. About half-way down we came to a narrow alley between buildings. Hector directed us into this alley. After a couple of tight turns we came to apartments opening on the alley. Hector climbed the stairs to the locksmith's apartment and started knocking on the door. No answer. He was about to call again when another couple came down the alley. He asked if they knew where the locksmith was. They said they thought he was home, but they didn't know. As they left, they mentioned that the gentleman is a tailor and if we ever need a tailor they are in the apartment at the end of the alley. Noticing that the man was very well dressed, I made a mental note. While it is nice to know where to find a tailor- this wasn't helping us get into the house. So we called the locksmith again and then knocked on the door again. We finally gave up and headed back to the car. As we exited the alley- we passed another group coming in. Hector asked them about the locksmith and was told that he was at a wedding that night.
About this time my friend Juan returned my call. When I told him the story he asked where we were and said he would meet us there. A couple of minutes later, he and his wife, Lupita, arrived. We had a quick discussion and agreed to follow him to a locksmith that he knew. It also turned out that Juan knew Hector. That was probably the least surprising coincidence of the night because I am becoming convinced that Juan knows everyone in the town of Mazatlan. So with our party growing into a caravan we took off again. As we drove toward our next destination, Jennifer commented on what a small town Mazatlan seems like sometimes. Everyone knows everyone else, or at least one of their family members. Hector answered that they had a saying to describe the “small town feeling”. He said that roughly translated it is "Mazatlan is like an egg."
When we arrived at the third locksmith of the evening we again struck out. Things were starting to look pretty bleak, but after a few minutes thought Juan said he knew where another locksmith was. So back into the vehicles and another short trip. By this time it was no surprise at all that no one was there when we arrived. I was starting to suspect that all the locksmiths were at the same wedding.
While we stood on the street corner trying to decide what to do next, a car pulled up and dropped off a passenger. Halfheartedly by this time, the usual questioning began. Do you know the locksmith or where he is? This time the answer was yes. The passenger was Jesus, the locksmith's son. He said his Dad wasn't around tonight, but after a few questions decided he could get the door open. Only problem was he didn't have a car and would need a ride. We were happy to give him a ride. This made our 6th passenger in the Explorer. On the way, Juan and Lupita decided to head home themselves since we had found what we needed.
We got to our house and Jesus started working on the lock. Liane decided it was time to head back home, but Hector and Abigail stuck around to translate and make sure we got in. It was pretty clear to even my limited Spanish that things weren't going as well as hoped. After a few minutes, Jesus relayed that the only thing he could do was remove the lock and we would have to get a new one. We said to do whatever it takes, just get the door open. Jesus wanted to make certain that we knew we would need a new lock and that there wouldn't be any place open tonight to buy one. This door actually has two locks so we were not really concerned about whether the lock got replaced tonight. Jesus said no problem. He could remove the lock tonight, and we could buy a new one tomorrow and then he would come back to install it.
Apparently the lock that was on our door was a very good one and it still took him quite a while to remove it. In the United States this would have been done by taking a power drill and drilling out the lock cylinder. Here it was done with a screwdriver and a pair of pliers as a hammer. Piece by piece he managed to chisel the lock cylinder out of the door without doing any damage to the door. Finally, the last piece came loose and we were able to get into our house.
Jesus also proved he had quick reflexes. He started to open the door when he removed the lock, and when faced by our pair of German Shepherds he immediately closed the door again and stood there holding it closed. We went in and secured the dogs, and made arrangements to get together with Jesus tomorrow to have a new lock installed. We asked if he wanted us to go buy it or if he was going to buy it and bring it to us. He explained that it was best if we buy it because then we know that we have the only keys. With all that settled, Jesus and I climbed back in the truck and I drove him home. On the way home, we discovered that between his English and my Spanish we could have a pretty decent conversation. When I dropped him off he again gave me directions to make sure I knew how to get home. I made the trip home with no trouble and we finally went to bed about 3:30 AM. Stay tuned for Part Two – Buying and Installing a Lock on Sunday.
Cloudy 63 oF • 17 oC