I had a 20 minute errand to run, and one of the perks of my last job is having decals I put in my car windows that allow me to park in those coveted spots for short periods of time. The rule is that both decals have to be stuck on the inside of the front two windows, but they’re a little on the large side, so they tend to fall out if you slam either door too hard.

Upon completing my errand I walked toward my car to find a short and indignant meter man in goofy shorts and stenciled shirt writing me a ticket. I quickly ran up to him and gave him my biggest and toothiest smile and said, “Is there a problem?” Without looking up from his pad he mutters, “You’re in a commercial zone with only one decal visible.”

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I looked in my driver’s side window and saw that the laminate had fallen from its perch and was lying face up on the driver’s seat. I pointed this out to the stout little man. “I guess I just shut my door too hard and the decal fell out. See, it’s sitting right there in my seat, face up.”

“It needs to be in the window ma’am.”

“But the other one is clearly visible in the window, and it’s obvious I have both decals in the car.”

He doesn’t respond. He hasn’t looked up. He’s still writing the ticket.

“Sir, surely you can see this was just an accident. The decal fell out of the window. I’m allowed to park in these spots!”

“I’m just telling you what the law is ma’am.” He continues writing, finishes with a flourish, and hands me my ticket.