Part 3 - The Bitter End

We arrived "home" to the basement suite we were staying in while Paul renovated our house. Comforts of home were very sparse, but it was so sweet to be there after the ordeal we had been through. Paul was still at church so I just took care of the essentials before settling the boys in their beds for a much needed rest. I didn't care if they slept long, just a rest, away from me. We didn't know how long we were going to be staying in the suite so we hadn't bothered to activate the furnace. We used several oil and electric space heaters which took of some of the edge, especially in the boys' rooms, but it was still really quite chilly. I tucked them in and snuck upstairs to leave a message for Paul, or talk to him, as church should have been dismissed by that time. I had gone upstairs a few other times to use the phone and I knew Maggie was still out so I headed upstairs. Stepped over her aged dog (he's not aging anymore, he seems to have arrived at aged) on the way up the stairs and opened the door at the top of the stairs. Although I knew she wouldn't mind me using the phone, I still felt a little out of place in her home when she wasn't there. I shook off that weird feeling and then wondered, "what's that weird sound?" Something faint, like a whistle. Not a whistle, a long beep. Like, say, a warning beep. I was fairly sure she didn't have an alarm system, as I didn't recall seeing any stickers on the doors or windows, and I knew she hadn't told me about an alarm. Hhmmm.

... the beeping stopped.

... the siren started.

Ya, Maggie has an alarm. I had the phone in my hand so I dialed Paul's cell. He answered to hear me yelling over the alarm that I was home and that I set off the alarm and the boys were downstairs and the dog was shaking. He said Maggie had left church already and to wait for the alarm company to call. The siren was just in her entryway, not upstairs and not in the suite, but it sure was loud. The next few minutes were a blur. I went down to check on the boys, who were both scared in their beds. Max was totally stunned and Marty was crying. But now that I had them, what was I going to do?! I tried to just leave them in the living room downstairs (it really wasn't very loud there at all) while I went back up to wait for the phone call, but they were so freaked out that they followed me to the entryway. So I brought them upstairs with me, letting the dog outside on my way. He's an old doggie and doesn't really wander far. I found the number for the alarm company and tried to call them myself but the phone was disconnected. Well what good is that to me? It was pretty loud in her house, but not nearly as bad as in the entry. I stood in her living room, looking out the window waiting for her, or a police car, or fire truck, or Paul to come down the road. Her house sits right at the "intersection" of a T so I could see quite a ways down the road. No one came to my rescue. Then I noticed a neighbour man come out of his house to see what was up. I left a nervous Max upstairs and took a panicked Marty down with me to talk to him. Once outside in my bare feet with my jammie pants getting soaked from walking on the wet sidewalk (of course in was raining!), I discovered there was a siren outside too. Of couse ther was, to alert all the neighbourhood that something terrible was amiss. He came over and I shouted to him what was happening and that the phone line was cut and I didn't know what to do. He brought me over a cell phone so I could call Maggie's daughter, my friend. I knew she'd be home from church and I was so glad I managed to reach her. She told me the code for the alarm, but I didn't even know where it was. I found that and punched the magic numbers.

Silence was never so sweet. Just some whimpering and bewildered looks from my boys. I took the phone back outside to the man and thanked him very much. He still seemed a little worried about me but I assured him that help was on the way. I went back into the house, trying unsuccessfully to bring the dog back in. He growled at me when I tried to coax him in. Fine then. Be that way. Enjoy the rain. I left the door open and went up again to wait for the phone call. Sure enough, they called a few minutes later and I told them the story. I asked if any law enforcement was going to be sent to the house, and she said she couldn't tell me that. Great. So back to the window we went, waiting for Paul or Maggie or who knows what else. Paul was the first to arrive. I met him downstairs where he easily encouraged the dog back inside. We made our way to our little home away from home where I hugged him and finally had the big cry I had been needing for the past 24 hours. He had no clue what to do, just held me. And held the baby. And held Max. He's a good Hubby and Papa. I cried it all out for a few minutes and then he helped us get all settled again, although I'm pretty sure there was no napping. Then off he went to do some more work at our house. Maggie came home a short while later and I filled her in on all the excitement. She just chuckled and headed upstairs after some small talk. She hadn't ever set the alarm while we were staying there before going to Calgary as I had been up and down the stairs a bit. Not knowing I would arrive home while she was out at church, she set it as she normally would.

We stayed in Maggie's basement another week and then finally moved back home. Several nights that week Paul just stayed here in the spare room so he could work late into the night and in the early morning before work without disturbing me and the boys. We missed him.

Max often talks about Maggie's house, reminds me that Maggie has an alarm, "It sounds like a fire truck, Mommy". Sometimes when he hears a siren, he recalls for me the events of the day that the alarm went off at Maggie's house.

*Sigh* There you have it. My fiasco. Thanks for reading, commiserating, and empathizing. I'm sure glad it's over.