Adventures in flying home - part 1

I know this is 'Adventures in flying - part 1' - because I am writing this on the plane and more has happened since leaving the condo. Heading to the airport had a rocky start.

We needed to leave by 5:00 A.M. I have short hair and usually don't wear make-up, so I can go from bed to shower, to out the door, in 30 minutes or less. My sister, on the other hand, has longer, very thick hair that takes FOREVER to dry. She said she would need to get up at 3:30 A.M. to be able to leave by 5:00A.M. - the airport was 34 miles away and our flight left at 7:15.

The car in front of the window that saved us

Things were going smoothly - at first. We both did a final check to make sure we had everything. We had packed the night before. I even remembered to call the office to let them know we were checking out very early. No problem, just leave the keys in the unit instead of dropping them in the box at the closed office.

We manage to haul the wheeled luggage down the entry way stairs, bump, bump, bump. We were trying to be quiet in the dark, early morning, but it was nearly impossible. Until we remembered the upstairs neighbors had sounded like a heard of elephants all week, especially after 11:00 P.M. - that's when we stopped worrying about the noise.

While loading the luggage in the trunk of the car, I went down my mental list.
Large suitcase, check.
Smaller suitcase, check.
Purse, check.
Laptop, chh..., laptop...... laptop??!!!
Dennie, do you have my laptop? No!
Really? Oh, crap! Do you have a room key?
No, they told us to leave them in the room, remember?

Now, I'm frantic. I would rather lose my purse than lose my laptop as I could replace the items in my purse easier. All week we had to be extra careful to make sure the front door was shut tightly as it had a tenancy not to click shut. I Crossed my fingers that maybe it didn't close this time. I checked, but of course it was closed tighter than a bank vault.

I yell to get in the car! We go flying over the speed bumps trying to find SOMEONE, anyone, on the property. I suggest now is a good time to speed as maybe that will make them magically appear. My mind is thinking of breaking a window and wondering if we show up late if they will give us another flight home. There is no one around but a deer and a scared tabby cat. Every other time we have driven in the property, we have seen multiple security trucks or marked complex golf carts.

Trying to hold it together, I said - go back to the condo! Dennie says there is no point. I know she is probably right, but I just can't leave Virginia without my laptop. We pull up to the front of our unit. She goes to check the front door again, as I'm taking the screen off the bedroom window frame. Please, Please let the window not be locked.

It slides open! Then we look at each other to see who will 'volunteer' to get boosted up five feet from the ground to the window.

Dennie, bless her heart, says she will go.
I cup my hands together to make a stirrup. Being the experienced horsewomen she is, she puts her left foot in them and lifts herself up to the window sill. Her torso is in, then I hear this weird sound - I have been trying to figure out how to spell it- something like UUAAAGGRRRHH!
I peek over the sill and her arms are flailing like two windmills. She finally finds the floor with her hands. Now, she has her butt and legs sticking out the window and her torso over the window sill with her hands down on the floor inside. Yeah! We're in!

At this point, I'm in control. She was going in - even if I had to push her butt and toss her legs over the window sill! She might have guessed what I had in mind, because with one more strange guttural sound, she was successful in wiggling the rest of her body through the window.

Still no security guard, but I could have sworn I saw a light go on in the unit upstairs.
Within a minute , Dennie comes running out with laptop in hand. We rush to the car to make our get away. The dashboard clock says 4:59 - still on time for the airport.

Stay turn for part 2 - Security.