Things that go honk in the night.

Last night some guy was honking his horn, for hours.  Once morning came, my wife looked out the window to see who this inconsiderate neighbor could be.  You see on our street people will honk their horn at all hours of the night some are short honks while other seem to think it is a doorbell that they hold for minutes on end.

The reasons people honk can be as simple to pick up a friend to go out to a club or it can be a signal for a prostitute or drug deal.  One thing is for sure nobody appreciates a honking horn.  At times we have to turn lights on, let the dogs out, or even call the police to clear things up.

On this occasion things were much more interesting.  As she looked outside she said in a puzzled voice, there is a man in your truck.  I think there is a man in your truck.  I looked, and sure enough there was a man honking the horn in MY TRUCK.  So I jumped up and headed outside, as I approached the window there was a terrified man sitting in the driver seat of the truck.  I am stuck in here, he said.  I know, I said. The truck has an anti left system and now that you are in, it will only let you out with the keypad.  He then asked me to call the police to get him out.  As I left the scene to grab my shoes.

As the police came he had my cell phone car charger around his neck and a folder from the Central Promise Neighborhood project.  The police asked him what these items were and he said they were his and that the cell phone charger was his key for HIS TRUCK.  I had to laugh at the image of this man lost in his own world trying to get my charger to start HIS TRUCK.

Now I can tell you that there are many times that I feel lost these days.  Trying to get what seems like the “Keys to my situation” to work on what ever problems and struggles I have at the time only to get frustrated by the fact that my keys are not working.  I only wish that there was a horn to push to alert those around me that I can use their help.  At least the guy in the truck knew that if he made enough noise, help would come.  Maybe the idea that help often comes with discipline or correction is why we are sometimes unwilling to wake the neighbors.