After I sent off Brad and Val in the late afternoon, I turned in the lobby to go back to the elevator when I was stopped by a sheriff friend standing behind the security counter, calling me and waving me over. I stood on the public side of the high counter as he stood inside the little security office facing me. He said in a low voice, “Hey. You wanna see a lobster?”

I looked at him suspiciously. My mind raced with the possibilities of what he may be about to say to me, or worse yet, expose to me. “Is that a euphemism?” I asked. I thought he responded affirmatively, which made me not want to play any further, since there were other patrons of the court, sheriffs, security personnel, and security cameras in the lobby. He whispered for me to go into the security office. I stood there unsurely. “Come in!” he said more firmly. So I did. He pointed me to a nylon canvas mini cooler, and unzipped it. I imagined what would be about to jump out at me as I become the butt of some joke I didn’t yet understand. Nothing jumped out. I peered in.

I was actually looking at a large live lobster with its tail curled underneath him barely contained in the tiny cooler.

Well, I’d suspected they were out to make me feel stupid, and feel stupid I did.