abundance of energy?

A funny thing happened on the way to work this morning. I decided to take the Chicago Skyway to save a few minutes. Although I work in the city now, I still haven't purchased an IPass or an IZoom or whatever other tolling product is available.

I mean, I need one but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. So I always have to use the cash lanes and pay my $3.00. Recently, the Skyway made all of the lanes--even cash lanes--accept IPass.

As I drove through today, I handed the toll booth operator a five-dollar bill. He started handing me my change and then stopped and said, "You have an IPass?"

I thought he was making a sales pitch.

"No, I don't." I said politely, still waiting for my change.

Then he mumbled something about the IPass again and started to hand me back my $5. The way it was going, it seemed like I was in the wrong lane and needed an IPass to get through. I told him, "Look, this is a cash lane? Why do I need an IPass to get through?"

He told me he knew that, and that all lanes accept IPass. I told him that I understood that, but that I don't have an IPass.

Then he said, "But it's saying that you do have an IPass."

I looked around my car and assured him that I didn't have an IPass and begged him to take my money. I think my exact words were, "It might be saying that I have an IPass, but I don't. Take my money because I don't want you to get screwed. Really. Take it."

He did, but he looked really confused.

I don't know if he was more confused about the fact that the sensors detected a non-existent IPass, or that I didn't take advantage of the fact that they had made a $3.00 mistake.