A Fitting Turn of Events, Sorta

Ever since I broke one of our house keys, we’ve been down a pair. I’ve been meaning to make a copy, but just never got around to it.

Today, I found myself in Home Depot and decided I should get a few copies made. Looking up, I had a choice: go to a guy who was duplicating keys by hand, or use the automated kiosk nearby.

I chose the automated kiosk.

As a technology guy, this made sense to me. Why rely on a human for what clearly can be an automated task?

The thing of it is, as I was getting my keys made using the machine… I turned around, and saw the guy (at the key duplication stand) staring at me. It got uncomfortable, so I turned away.

I’m not sure why Home Depot would set something like this up, positioning both stations so close to one another. It felt really awkward. When I looked at the guy, his eyes seemed to say to me “Why are you taking food out of the mouths of my children?”

I was reminded of the fight between good and evil, at Millennium Station. Only I was clearly choosing the side of evil.

The process itself was fine, but I felt super uncomfortable in my very overt choice of selecting a machine over a human being. And this was heightened by the guilt I felt, when I saw the key copying guy staring at me.

But guess what? Serves me right. Because when I got home, the keys that the automated kiosk produced didn’t work. And now, I’ve got to go back to Home Depot for a refund. And get the keys made by the actual guy, and not the machine.

I really hope it’s not the same guy.

Related:
Key and Lock Problems
Searching for Keys, and a Visit to Marz Brewery
The Fight Between Good and Evil: Millennium Station, Chicago
Old Keys, Reynolds Metals Company, McCook, Illinois