Yesterday we had a day off in El Paso. The bus pulled into a mall parking lot and stopped about eleven in the morning. We had an entire day to hang out and do whatever we wanted. I decided to start out the day by getting lock out on a balcony of a hotel.

Phil and I had a day room at a nearby hotel and decided to head over there to try to get some laundry done. Phil finished and headed back to the bus. I was on the phone with my wife and wasn’t paying attention to where I was walking. The “balcony” at this particular hotel was not even really a balcony as much as it was a sliding glass door leading to a four inch ledge, most likely not intended to hang out on.

Again, not thinking and still on the phone, I sneak out on to this four inch ledge and shut the door behind me. After about five minutes I realize it’s time to go inside and head back to the bus. I try to slide the door open and realize that it’s stuck. Still open about six inches I pull harder, realizing that the bar that holds the sliding door in place had fallen and locked me out.

“What am I supposed to do?” I asked my wife. “I suppose I could jump. It’s only the second floor.”

I decided not to jump, and just call information and get the number for the front desk. The only problem was that information needed to know what street I was on. “Well,” I explained, “See there is this tiny balcony and I am stuck on it. I’m looking at a mall, but can’t tell you what street I am on.” Information connected me to one of the three hotels in the city under that name.

I asked the guy who answered the phone if he was the hotel facing the mall. He said no and asked if he could give me the number to that hotel. Me without a pen and no memory, explained to him my situation and he called the hotel I was at for me.

“What room are you in”, he asked.

“Ummmm… not sure. I think I might be in 253, but I am facing the mall.”

“What name is the room under?”

Rooms are rarely under my name, and it really could be a number of names that the room was reserved under. Not to mention that we had five rooms under the same name at this particular hotel. Again I tell him, “Ahhh… I don’t really know”.

I can hear the guy on the line relaying what I am saying when he comes back on the line and tells me that the hotel is saying that the rooms facing the mall don’t have balconies.

“I understand that the intended use of this particular spot may not be considered an actual “balcony”, but I saw a sliding glass door and I went out it…. I was distracted and now I am stuck.”

After a quick back and forth, I was told that a maintenance man was on his way to the outside of the hotel to figure out what room I was in to come and get me. About ten minutes later I was rescued from room 259 (I was close).

All I could say to the guy that came and let me back in was, “I’m sorry, I’m stupid.” He smiled and walked out the door.