Really?

On my way into work this morning, a young woman stopped me on Main Street and asked where the courthouse was. I am very accustomed to this question because people often get confused between the federal and county courthouses, particularly because they are within two blocks of each other. She was holding a copy of a traffic citation so I pointed further down Main Street and told her the county courthouse was just in the next block. She said thanks and went on her way.

After a few steps, she turned and looked at me again. We had the following conversation:

Woman: Do you know what happens if you don't put money in those things?

Me: You mean the parking meters?

Woman: Yeah.

Me: They give you a ticket.

Woman: Really? Do you have to pay it?

Me: Um, yeah.

I have spent most of the morning trying to understand how a person does not know you have to put money in the parking meters.