Safety First

Even the bread toaster can burn down your house. Don’t leave food or anything else on top of it. I think of Rob telling me about his last ‘safety first moment’ last night.
And what about the gas stove?! I realize there is the lasagna dish on it covered with a kitchen towel.
What if just a little spark shoots out of the stove?!

I turn the car around quickly and drive back home. Just to be sure.
Maarten is pretty upset since he really wants to go to ‘his little forest’. I try to explain, we will be going in a second. I turn off the engine and the key alarm is warning me that I left the keys in the ignition.
Automatically, I lock the car door from inside and jump out to check the kitchen. The moment I see the door closing, I immediately realize what I’ve just done.

I feel I’m getting warm and dizzy. I still hope I left at least one of the doors open. Nope, I didn’t.
Maarten is inside the locked car parked negligently in the middle of our street. And in the full sun.
The only key I have is locked inside with Maarten.
The next couple of minutes I find myself running around my car with all kinds of tools trying to open one of the doors.

Maarten is really upset. He wants to leave for the forest immediately! I try to explain, but he doesn’t listen at all.
Then I realize he can easily reach the lock button even though he’s fastened in his car seat. I beg him to press the button. But he gets very angry seeing I’m not intending to go to the forest yet. I promise him all kinds of treats and presents, everything just to make him press the button and open the door. But my little friend is red from anger and from the heat and resolutely refuses to do so. The only thing he wants right now is to be in the forest.
Those minutes feel like ages.

I realize I really have to call for help when at last my ‘little angel’ pities me and presses the button.