Dave the Locksmith


Dave was a locksmith by trade, but in his heart, he fancied himself a humble artisan of security—like a Renaissance blacksmith, only with a van and questionable Yelp reviews.


One Wednesday afternoon, he duplicated a car key FOB for a desperate client named Sheila. The key FOB was for a 2022 Mazda She had lost her only one, and her hands trembled as she handed over her car keys to him.


Dave, with the solemnity of a monk performing a sacred rite, waved a chunky black programmer over the original FOB, then chanted some incantations about encryption, transponders, and "OE versus aftermarket sync delay." After one hour and thirty-seven grimaces, the FOB beeped triumphantly.


"Success," he intoned.


Sheila looked relieved until she saw the invoice: $484.00.


"Four hundred and eighty-four dollars? For this?"


Dave nodded solemnly. "Includes one hour of labor and the cost of the FOB."


"I'm being gouged," she said, "but I have no choice but to pay. I need to drive my car to work tomorrow."


Dave gave a little shrug that said, Capitalism is a swamp and I am just one of its alligators.


Two days later, karma, that meticulous ledger-keeper, spotted Dave. It was 11:03 PM when the realization hit him like a crowbar to the shin: He had forgotten to buy a replacement power supply for his boss's MacBook Air M3.


The boss needed it at 7:00 AM sharp for a presentation.


Dave panicked. His local tech store was closed. The 24-hour megastore had only USB-to-USB cables.


Finally, in desperation, he turned to the holy temple of late-night neighborhood drama: the community email list.

Subject: "Long shot: MacAir M3 power supply?"

Hi neighbors,
I know it's late and this is probably hopeless, but does anyone happen to have a MacAir M3 power supply I can borrow until tomorrow morning? I'm in a bit of a bind. Thanks so much in advance.
— Dave from Dave's Lock & Key

Five minutes passed. Silence.


Ten minutes. Nothing.


At 11:27 PM, a reply pinged in:

Hi Dave,
Funny thing… I do have one. And I could let you borrow it. But let's discuss the terms. I'd say this is emergency-level service, at an unusual hour, involving specialized equipment. Let's say… $484? One hour's worth of neighborly labor included.
Sincerely,
Sheila from Elm Street.

Dave stared at the screen, his soul slowly exiting through his ear canals.


He typed back:

You're gouging me.

To which Sheila replied:

But you have no choice but to pay. You need it for work tomorrow.



(This story is donated to the public domain.)


--
--
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com
https://pairsmathgame.com
https://philshapirochatgptexplorations.blogspot.com/
https://bsky.app/profile/philshapiro.bsky.social

He/Him/His

"Wisdom begins with wonder." - Socrates
"Learning happens thru gentleness."
"We must reinvent a future free of blinders so that we can choose from real options."  David Suzuki

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