My car was really dirty.  The kind of dirty when you can’t tell what color your car is because it is so grey with salt and grime and if you happen to rub up against your car your coat gets big white streaks on it–that kind of dirty.  I had the inspired idea while getting gas to get my car washed.  This gas station had one of those pay for the car wash at the pump and then enter a code before entering the car washing garage magic room.

*There are two types of people.  The type that do not have ridiculous things happen to them all the time, and the type that do.*

So I drove into the car washing garage magic room.  I drove slowly.  The green light up sign told me to enter.  The door closed behind me.  The door that allows me to exit to the front was already closed.  The arch with all the sprayers and brushes moved in place over my car.  And then nothing happened.

Crickets.

So I put the car in forward and inched up.  I put the car in reverse and inched back.  I drove forward again.  I drove back again.  A little further up.  A little further back. The arch was still over my car.  I waited.  I honked.

I can’t believe this.  I’m trapped in the car wash.

I grabbed my receipt to see if their was a phone number, so I could say–“Hi, I’m inside your car wash and I can’t get out”, but there was no phone number.  I texted my husband because if nothing else he would find this amusing.  Nothing from him either.

More crickets.

Here’s the thing, if I get out and bang on the door will the sprayer suddenly turn on and will I get drenched?  If this thing isn’t working and it suddenly kicks on what if it’s not the pre-rinse that goes on but the big huge giant scrubber brushes and I get sudsed?

I threw my car in drive and drove right-up-to-the-door-where-my-bumper-was-touching.  The door opened.

I was free.

I went into the office and explained I had been trapped.  The dude behind the desk yawned once and gave me another code so I can try again.

It’s not going to be me.  The code’s good for 30 days.  My husband is going to be the one and if he texts me from inside–I’m not answering.