Everyone solved the problem except the guy who had it.

This happened after a fraternity party in Kearney.

A group of us were leaving the Phi Delta Theta house when we noticed one of our fraternity brothers standing beside his car looking defeated.

He was in no condition to be driving anywhere.

But that wasn’t the immediate problem.

The immediate problem was that he had locked himself out of his car.

His keys were still sitting in the ignition.

We could all see them through the window.

He could see them too.

There they were.

A few inches away.

Completely unreachable.

At least that’s what he thought.

After several unsuccessful attempts to solve the problem himself, he did what seemed perfectly reasonable at the time.

He called the police.

A while later, an officer arrived and listened patiently as our fraternity brother explained the situation.

The officer walked over to the driver’s side window.

My friend pointed at the keys.

“They’re right there.”

The officer tried to look inside but couldn’t get a clear view because my friend was standing in the way.

So he handed him a flashlight.

“Go around to the other side and shine this through the window so I can see them.”

Simple enough.

My friend obediently walked around to the passenger side of the car.

What happened next is one of the funniest things I’ve ever witnessed.

The passenger-side window was already rolled down.

Completely down.

Wide open.

My friend never noticed.

Instead, he started shining the flashlight through the opening.

Then he leaned in a little farther.

And a little farther.

And a little farther.

Soon half of his upper body was hanging inside the car while he continued explaining where the keys were located.

The keys that were now only inches away from his hand.

The officer watched this unfold for a few seconds.

Then he slowly walked to the driver’s side window and tapped on the glass.

My friend looked up.

The officer pointed.

Not at the keys.

At the open window.

There was a long pause.

You could almost hear the gears turning.

Then my friend looked down.

Looked at the keys.

Looked at the open window.

And finally realized that the problem had solved itself several minutes earlier.

The officer never said a word.

He didn’t need to.

Sometimes the funniest moments don’t require a punchline.

Just a flashlight.

An open window.

And a set of keys that were right there.

If this resonated with you, you’re not alone.