Going Up?

We don't seem to be going to the sidewalk by the beach as often as we used to, so I have been walking the stairs in our apartment building for exercise lately. The stairs are right by our back door.

Yesterday morning when I came back and headed for the door, I saw a sudden movement that, of course, startled me. It wasn't a mouse, thank goodness, but it was a gecko/liazard/thing that was about 6 inches long. I let out a little yelp, my heart rate went back up, and I wondered how I was going to get past the thing to get back in the apartment. It had stopped right smack in front of the door and if I opened the door, I was afraid it would run in.

I went around the hall to the front door and rang the doorbell a number of times in rapid succession, as only a family member would do. I figured that even if Alan was in the shower or bathroom he would hear it and know it was me. I kept checking to see if the critter was still there and he was, so I kept ringing. When Alan got to the door I told him what was up. We just shut the door, went on with the morning and hoped the lizard would go away.

A little while later, Irene came to work. She usually just slips in quietly and goes right to work so sometimes we don't even know she is here. When we noticed her Alan told her about the lizard. She said she knew. It had run in the apartment when she went out the back to take out the garbage. She said, " It's right there." We looked to the corner she was pointing to and sure enough, there it was, all 6 inches of it.

We were both wondering why Irene didn't say anything to us or if she ever would have. Maybe it isn't a big deal, but we weren't that comfortable with the idea. While I was looking around for something to trap a lizard in, Alan opened the back door and headed in the direction of the lizard. I guess all those years of herding sheep paid off because that lizard headed right out the door and into the service elevator. I thought that was great, but I really wanted a little more assurance that I wouldn't see that lizard again soon. I ran down the two flights of stairs to the ground level so I could push the button and give Mr. Lizard a ride to somewhere besides the second floor. I really don't know if he was actually in the elevator or just clinging to the wall in the shaft somewhere. All I know is that I haven't seen him again and I have been watching very closely.