Paper Theft Auto

On an average day at work, not many exciting things happen, unless of course you are in need of a day when everything goes to plan, as we were last week...

At the critical point when the printer, photocopier and fax machine ran out of paper all at the same time, we simultaneously discovered that the key to the stationary cupboard had been misplaced. Yes, we lock our paper away. People eat it if you don't hide it well. To add to the pressure, the Higher Ups were in residence at the office that day doing some kind of serious inspection. 

We ransacked the office looking for the key, but did not find it. We (or rather I) then attempted to pick the lock to the stationary cupboard, but to no avail. I had to make a mad dash to the nearest key cutters (approximately 20 minutes walk away). I walked as fast as my high heels would carry me, only to find that the shop had run out of template keys. On my return we discovered that the next nearest key cutters was in the town centre, a good twenty minutes away by metro. A colleague, offered to go at lunchtime. So, I handed over the sample key and the lock number and off she went to town. Meanwhile, the office came to a virtual standstill as every scrap of paper in sight had been used up.

A returned to the office a mere two and a half hours after she had left, with a key. We were all so happy to see her, we would have thrown a party, were it not for the pressing issue of the paper. So, off I went with M to collect stacks of paper from the cupboard, only to find that they key A had returned with did not fit the lock. Imagine the horror!! In the absence of a key, M and I decided there was only one thing for it ... we would have to break in. 

However, we still needed the key, so it was left to another colleague, to drop into the shop on her way to work the next day and give them grief for giving us the wrong key, which she promptly did. On her return to the office, it transpired that the key we had been trying to get into the cupboard with was not a key they stock in their shop. Fortunately, they were kind enough to have cut us the correct key anyway.

This led to some confusion as to where the mystery key had come from, if not from the shop.

It was at this point in the discussion that A piped up from her corner of the office : "oh wait a minute ... I think that's the key to my cupboard at home" ...