The 'Key' to Life in the North....

When I woke up in Edmonton on Sunday morning at 5:00 a.m. preparing to head to the airport to board our flight to Inuvik, I never thought that the following chain of events was about to unfold...

To begin, I woke up early so I could enjoy my last unlimited hot shower for the foreseeable future. I had only slept about 30 minutes all night because I was having anxiety about making sure the alarm went off so we could make it to the airport on time.  The previous night in Toronto had been spent pretty much the same way, as we were up and moving at 3:30 that morning for a 6:00 flight.  Needless to say, I was tired.

While we were waiting at the gate at the Edmonton airport and I was enjoying my last Timmy's  double double for a while, Greg decided to get the van key out of his black computer bag.  Two weeks previous, I had watched Greg deposit the key into his computer bag (which we jokingly call his purse because he keeps his wallet and keys in there) because as he triumphantly declared, "I am not going to need this for two glorious weeks!!".  When he went to retrieve it from its said location, there was no key to be found.  Hmm.  That's weird.  Maybe it slipped into the main compartment of the bag.  No luck.  The next thing to happen was a full out, dumping of the bag, which produced a laptop, pens, iPad charging connections, iPads, 3DSs, various wires and cords, and some other unexpected junk, but no key.  Oh oh.

Before I continue, I should mention that Greg had driven our van down the ice road from Tuk to Inuvik on the morning of Friday, December 19th, where he parked at the airport in long-term parking before his flight home for Christmas.  This worked out well because when we all returned back to the Frozen North after our Christmas Break, we could load our bags in the van and head back to Tuk on the ice road.  (Incidentally, Greg had to pay $10 for the entire two weeks he parked at the airport, and it would have been free except that he plugged the van in to keep it warm and was charged for the electricity.  Eat your heart out all of you who pay through the nose for park'n'fly rates at Pearson!).

Anyway, our flight was called and we boarded.  All the while, I could tell Greg's wheels were turning.  What could have happened to the key?  He knows for certain that he never took the key out himself, as do I and all the kids.  It must have become entangled in some cords when he pulled the laptop out in any of about a dozen various locations we have stayed over the holidays.  It was Greg's laptop too, which the boys don't use for gaming.  I could see him thinking of all the hotels and houses in which we visited.....and he began to look ill.  Even more oh oh.

The plane took off and I was in full out panic mode.  NOW what?  MY keys were in the hands of our landlord and lady, who were going to be replacing the living room floor after the Great Flood of 2014.  Those keys were 3 hours and a $100 taxi drive one way per person up the ice road from Inuvik to Tuk. Oh dear.

Shortly before we landed in Yellowknife to take on more passengers, we decided we had better call our landlord to make sure that they were going to be home when Greg arrived in town to collect the keys.  Greg called their cell phone only to discover that they were in Florida.  Things were going from bad to worse.  Luckily, the landlord called us back and said that she would contact the person staying in her house to leave the doors open and my keys on their kitchen table so we could collect them. Now, if only we could figure out a way to get those keys to us.

The plane took off and again, all cell phones and electronic devices were placed into airplane mode.  We brainstormed various ideas....maybe we could call CAA and find out if they could hot wire our van provided we showed proof of ownership?  What about calling a locksmith in Inuvik and asking him if he had any ideas?  What about seeing if there are any flights headed from Tuk to Inuvik that day?  Fortunately, the woman sitting in front of us turned around, and said with typical Northern thinking, "Why don't you see if someone from Tuk is coming down the ice road to Inuvik and can drop the keys off at the airport?".  Eureka!!

As soon as the plane landed in Norman Wells, we called our Everything Tuk Person, Audrey, and she suggested that she could ask on the community Facebook page to see if anybody was making the trip down to Inuvik later that day.  Perfect!  She posted, and then it was time for the plane to take off again, this time onward to Inuvik.

When we arrived in Inuvik, we prepared for the fact that Greg was going to withdraw $200 to use for cab fare to collect our keys, although we were going to put a final phone call in to Audrey to see if somebody had answered the request....but GUESS WHAT?  Our landlord's son-in-law's mother was on the same flight as us and he had come to the airport in Inuvik to pick her up!  He handed Greg the keys.  It was like the heavens had opened up and shone their light down on us!!  I found my philosopher husband standing motionless with the keys in his outstretched hand, jaw dropped, and what eventually became a huge grin on his face.  All he said to me was, "Whaddaya' know?!".  

This is one of those incidents where it is plain to see that life in the north somehow comes with its own brand of thinking.  We are used to the anonymous living of a populated south where we don't even know the names of our next door neighbours, and wouldn't dream of asking anybody to drive anything we own 3 hours down the road to us!  It just isn't done!  Many of you have told me how you are amazed time and again at how the Wilsons hatch plans, which can be complicated and incredible all at the same time.  I have realized that this is because my father-in-law, Jim, possesses a Northern, almost pioneer mentality of how to help and look out for people due to his childhood and adolescence spent living in Northern Ontario in isolated railroad communities.  Greg and I have been party to some pretty amazing Wilson family thinking but when that key was dropped into Greg's hand, he was dumbfounded!  We were so grateful and humbled.....and all that was expected in return was a simple "Thank you.".  

A complicated and potentially messy (not to mention expensive) situation had a very simple ending, and when the time comes, we will pay it forward. 

Thank you Robin.