So I was reading mabelreid's latest, and the bunny for this cropped up. It's amazing how many smart people get completely confounded by these things... :)
Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine. But the frustration over getting the door open; that I know well.
Clunk.
"Damn."
He hated this. It had been a five hour flight to Alaska, a blinding snowstorm along a two-lane highway in an SUV full of tired and crabby people, and now he couldn't get the door of his hotel room open.
He slid the obnoxiously irritating piece of magnetized plastic back into the tiny little slot, waiting for the little green lights to blink.
They didn't.
A long muffled curse escaped, hushed underneath his breath. He was so tired, and it was late. All he wanted to do was get inside the room and collapse on the bed for an hour or so before going back to work again.
He tried the slip of plastic a third time, and got the lights to blink, but when he tried the door handle, the latch remained fast.
A fist pounded once on the door, hard enough to echo down the hallway. An agitated scream emanated from his voice box, and he thunked his head on the wooden barrier that stood between himself and blissful sleep.
It's 3 in the morning. All I want is a little sleep…
"What's the matter?"
His head spun, trying to figure out who it was that was talking to him. "Do I know you?" he asked, his words slurred from lack of sleep.
"Yeah. It's Emily," the voice said. "Wow, you must really be out of it."
"Can't get the stupid door open…" he trailed, about ready to just give up and pass out on the carpeting in the hall.
"Oh, geez," the voice named Emily laughed. She gently took the strip of plastic that was the bane of his existence and slid it into the slot. The lights blinked, there was a cheerful click, and the door swung open, causing him to lose his balance and enter the room falling on his face.
"You okay?" the voice asked. It seemed to be concerned, and he felt something trying to pick him up.
A few seconds later, Emily heard snores coming from her colleague's throat.
Amazing. As intelligent and as accomplished as he is, and he still can't get the hotel door key to work, she thought as she made her way back to her own room for the night.