sherman was hoping that an ugly bureaucratic error caused by a computer , or by the person operating the computer , would soon be revealed to them by the owners of the kevlar vests , or by an older , senior official with an apologetic demeanor , who would eventually show up with gray hair and wear an old-fashioned suit , and produce the regretful smile of the deli owner he met a week ago , who was terribly embarrassed about a slice of spoiled pastrami and gave him a complimentary jar of home-made pickled herrings .