#bathroom code

I was at one of the, what, 50 Starbucks stores downtown, when I had to use the ladies room.

There was a line at the counter, so I found the bathroom on my own, but when I came to turn the handle to go in—it did say it was vacant, after all—the door wouldn’t open.

I looked around in puzzlement. Two girls were sitting nearby.

“You need a code,” the one with an afro hairdo and laptop offered.

I said “Oh,” and made to go around the corner to get the code.

“It’s 1416 star,” the same girl offered further.

“Oh, thank you,” I said.

Then the real challenge began. Not only was there a code, but there was also a touchscreen to enter it, which was black and unresponsive to this first timer.

After a series of exchanges that sounded like “Just touch the screen anywhere and keep your finger there a few seconds,” and "It's not working," I was finally able to powder my nose.