Today, I came home utterly exhausted, barely able to drag myself through the door. All I wanted was to collapse onto the couch, kick off my shoes, and enjoy some peace and quiet.
But as I approached the door, something caught my eye. A bright red stain was splashed across the door lock, and it immediately struck me as strange. My first thought was, “Did someone try to break in?” My heart began racing. I looked around quickly, but the entryway was empty.
“Could it be a mark left by a thief?” I wondered. “Maybe they’re coming back later?” My mind started to spiral into one unsettling thought after another.
I almost grabbed my phone to call the police, but something made me hesitate. I took a closer look at the stain, and the realization hit me: it was too bright and smooth—it looked like lipstick.
Suddenly, I remembered the rush my wife had been in that morning. Her makeup bag had been in disarray, with her keys tangled up in the mess of cosmetics. She must have accidentally gotten lipstick on the keys, and when she tried to unlock the door, the stain transferred onto the lock.
My anxiety disappeared, and I found myself laughing at how worked up I had gotten.
When my wife came back home, I couldn’t resist pointing out the stain. At first, she was confused, but then it clicked, and we both burst into laughter.
“Next time, be a little more careful with your lipstick,” I said with a grin. “I almost called the cops!”
It turned out that this little mix-up had nearly made me the star of a “crime prevention” headline!
