A to Z

Today my story is about the letter "A". No, it's not The Scarlet Letter, but the act that warrants its telling is no less fraught with ignominy.

I was briefing a contracts case when I entered an animated revelation over equitable estoppel and recklessly scraped the "A" and "Z" keys off my keyboard. "FUCK!" I exclaimed, while scarfing down Fritos and eyeing the keys as they plummeted to the lint-ridden floor of the law school basement. After finishing the chips, I picked up the keys and tried to replace them into the keyboard. The "Z" I was able to pop back in with relative ease. The "A", though, would not properly affix. In fact, every time I am typing the letter "A", I have to apply unnatural amounts of pressure with my left pinky, a finger whose presence I had taken for granted thus far.

I hauled ass to Comp USA in Vacaville and presented my crippled keyboard to the adolescent employee. He smirked at the missing key, informing me that I would have to get the entire keyboard replaced. "For just one key?" I inquired incredulously. The employee nodded, rolling his eyes in contempt at the hardwood-designed contact paper I had recently applied to the cover of my laptop. It can't be right that I have to replace the whole thing for just one key. He probably didn't know what the hell he was talking about. Men usually don't.

Since then, I have talked to people at Circuit City, Toshiba, Toshiba's service center at Comp USA in Sacramento, their tech department, back to their service department, back to their tech department. The verdict is inconclusive as to whether I need to replace the keyboard, and if so, how long that will take, and whether it will be covered by the warranty. I think I'll just continue developing the muscles in my left pinky and forget about replacing the key. I mean, fuckin' A!