and then i got locked in the bathroom

Here's an embarrassing/funny story about something that happened to me yesterday. First, you should know that my apartment, though I love it, has (or rather, had) a distinct doorknob problem, in that many of them were missing. Actually, not missing; it's not like we had them and then lost them, it's that we rent an apartment with a doorknob deficit. We could have gotten them fixed, but...we're lazy. Or we kept forgetting, either way. Anyway, the missing ones included the outside doorknob to the bathroom (solution: when you exit, leave the door open behind you so the next person can get in. This was never a problem for us), and the inside part of the front door. I know you're thinking that if we had no way to open the door from the inside it would be difficult to exit the apartment, but A2 is quite handy and he made a makeshift doorknob out of tape and maybe something else (don't ask), and it has been working fine for almost four months.

So yesterday morning I took a shower before going to work. As I went to exit the bathroom, the remaining doorknob (the one on the inside of the bathroom door) literally broke off in my hand. And if you'll recall, there is no doorknob on the outside, meaning it would be tricky for someone to come let me out. Problem. I tried to fix/reattach, but McGuyver I am not, and it didn't really work. Luckily, there is a small window above the shower that opens into a small courtyard-ish thing, where other apartments also have bathroom windows. Sometimes we can hear other people chatting or the radio, etc.

I opened the window, and then realized that I have no idea how to say "help" in Arabic. It's up there with useful words I should have learned, like "fork" or "towel" but never did. Anyway, I managed to get out, "Hello, is anyone there? I have a problem. I am in the bathroom and the door won't open." Someone heard, asked which apartment I was in, and said she would send up security. Sure enough, I soon heard someone ringing the front doorbell repeatedly. The following conversation then took place:

Me: That's the right apartment, I hear the doorbell.
Girl upstairs: Why don't you go let him in?
Me: ....stuck in the bathroom. Can't get out.
Girl upstairs: Oh right. And you can't get out at all?
Me: No. That's why I need help.
Girl upstairs: Can you call the police?
Me: I don't have a phone in the bathroom. And I would rather not.
Girl upstairs: OK, one minute. [Yells in Arabic with someone else for a minute.] We will get a locksmith. Wait there.
Me: Still not going anywhere.

Anyway, there is a locksmith on the first floor of my building. So they must have gone to get him, and soon after that he came up, unscrewed the lock on the front door, and came and rescued me from the bathroom. After sharing a nice laugh with the very amused bowab (doorman) who accompanied him, they went ahead and replaced all the doorknobs that were missing/broken. Total time spent locked in bathroom: about 30 minutes. I am not too traumatized, and on the bright side we now have all working doorknobs in our apartment. For now.