"I know how you are about locks"

Ron told me "I know how you are about locks". 

Well, we have a complex relationship. 

I never had a key to my parent's house, up until the day I moved out.  Ron says that is unusual.  The other kids did.  Her argument: "You will lose it".  "We are never gone when you want to come home".  No, but she used to lock me out. 

Another time my Dad gave me a key to "the trunk", I couldn't get it to work, kept telling him, he kept shouting.  I broke the key.  Dad came over shouting because I had broken the key to his first car.  I told him it didn't work.  He's the one who gave me the wrong key. 

After that incident (I was about 7) I was branded as "Bad with locks".  I had a reputation for "losing" things - that weren't lost, but taken from me.  However, rather than address the complex head games at the root of all this, they preferred to say I "lost" them. 

Why is it, when I had adequate storage and study space at school, when I could go in early and work later if needed - I suddenly "kept" all the items I wasn't bringing "home" any more?  And pulled straight A's? 

Good questions.  And people wondered why I never wanted to have children.  Can you imagine having to tell certain parties they would never be alone with my children - ever? 

That's one reason I am so baffled by the seemingly happy family next door.  What is that?  What is it like?  I have no concept.  I know how to front "everything's fine" when I am covered in bruises, my sinuses aching from my suppressed sobs.  I know how to smile brightly and play stupid when someone looks at whatever Ron's done to his head during a blackout.  I know how to act as though I'm not, in fact, suicidal, back when I was. 

Anyway, back to locks.  I did pretty well, living with Ron.  I never lost a house key, misplaced for a few minutes now and then, but that's it.  I keep them on a hook now. 

I never had "work keys" until I went to work for Ron.  I was given, pretty much from day one, a mind-boggling, heavy, key ring, loaded with 2 dozen keys for everything from our freezer, to the main stockroom.  I was also given a Federal Building Security Badge.  Better not lose that! 

A funny thing happened, while I have, on occasion, forgotten my keys at home, I've never lost them.  I install locks, actually, at work.  Ron tells me I do a better job than the repairman, and better yet, I don't cost him $65 either. 

I open and close locks on a regular basis, ongoing.  With the exception of a broken lockbar we haven't had any lock related issues of note.  Even the repairman said he'd never seen that one. 

I guess I do alright with locks, after all. 

Ron's comment?  I always lock doors behind me.  I'm a woman, it's just good common sense.