"But It Wasn't Locked !"

"I'll have to drop you off in the layby Deb" said Carol. The Japanese restaurant was at the far end of the pedestrian precinct and there was no public access until later to the service yard where Debbi had parked her car last night.

Debbi steeled herself for the couple of hundred yards walk. It was Thursday late night shopping and the area was crowded. There weren't any obvious catcalls or whistles but her hyper sensitivity registered any smirks and sniggers. "Piss off" she hissed at a gaggle of giggling teens who had taken to following her.

Further along a group of college girls were seated outside a coffee shop. "Jeez, look at the state of that" exclaimed one, catching sight of Debbi as she approached. "What on earth possessed her to wear that out ? Apart from anything else, she looks a bit old for that kind of look !"

"Deb !" another of the girls suddenly called. Debbi reluctantly turned her head. "Oh, hi Charlotte" she acknowledged Carol's daughter. "So, they fit ok I see ?" Charlotte continued. "Er, well, kind of" acknowledged Debbi. "Um, thanks for the loan. I'll get them back to you" she felt obliged to add. "No rush, it's not as if I'd ever be seen dead in them these days" laughed Charlotte. "No, er, well, thanks again but excuse me, I've got to get to Wagas to get my own stuff" mumbled Debbi. "Ciao for now" Charlotte called after her.

"Who's that ? Those aren't really your clothes are they Charlie ? Look, her ass is almost completely hanging out the back !" the same girl as before enquired. "I bought them when I was 13 and thought they were cool but mum never let me wear them" Charlotte laughed. "Not surprised" replied the other girl, before Charlotte filled them all in on the story of her mother's boss and the debacle in the Japanese restaurant. "But those ridiculous shoes ?" opined another of the group. "Oh god, those were never mine, they're my mum's from her wild teenage years !"

Debbi was finding walking in the aforementioned shoes more and more difficult. Good for working the thigh muscles though I guess, she thought. It was a great relief when she could duck down an alleyway to the service yard and rap on the door to the restaurant. She was happy to see her car still there and not clamped. "They took a lot of persuading not to clamp it, we told them it was there on official business at the restaurant" explained Li as he opened the door. "Interesting look" remarked Jenny the waitress as Debbi entered the kitchen. "These were the only clothes my friend could lend me after you left all my things locked up when you went home" countered Debbi, trying hard not to lose her temper at the girl.

"But it wasn't locked" answered Jenny, "What ?" Debbi cried. "I just pushed the door to. Look, all you have to do is slide your fingernail in and prize it open" she demonstrated. Debbi groaned, her joy at getting her things back heavily diluted by the realization that much of her humiliation today had been completely unnecessary !