I recently joined three friends at a local tavern for the best burger and fries for miles around. This particular establishment is not a place you want to frequent at night but you are safe during daylight hours. It is tastefully decorated with advertising signs for every beer ever brewed and all the tables have at least one leg with a spoon wedged under it to stop the wobbling. This is a high-class eatery!
I felt compelled to wash my hands before my food arrived because this was a eat-your-fries-with-your-fingers dining experience. I carelessly closed and locked the door to the ladies' room, used soap and water, and pulled the towel down to a clean area. I quickly pulled the door open to leave, never giving a thought as to why I didn't have to unlock it. I did firmly close the door, however.
Moments later, a patron tried to open the door and it was locked from the inside! After knocking and hearing no sounds from inside, she alerted the waitress. A quick inventory of customers determined that the locked room was unoccupied.
No problem. The waitress simply got a key from the cash register to unlock the door. Problem. That key and all the others she tried would not work! As I sat facing the dilemma unfolding before my eyes, it began to dawn on me that I was the cause! The door had not been latched when I turned the little lock in the door knob.
Would it have solved the problem if I had spoken up and confessed my guilt? No. I sat silently watching as the cook worked with all the keys she could find in the kitchen. The bartender dredged up keys from hidden places under the bar. Alas, alack!
Finally, a customer got down from his bar stool , sauntered over to the door in question, and rummaged in his pocket. With his back to the room, he bent over the doorknob and had the door open in two seconds. Without a word he put his hand back in his pocket, turned around and went back to his stool and beer at the bar.
Moral of this story? Pick the place with the best food in town. Never mind the shady characters who are there. At least if you've locked your keys in the car, you stand a good chance of knowing who can pick the door lock!