At work we put our purses and cell phones in lockers because we can't bring them to our desks. Which is fine. Don't want somebody stealing customers' identities.
I didn't have a problem with it until I lost my padlock. I used to click it to the strap on my purse, or a ring on my lunchbox, but lately I haven't been bringing either of them in with me. I was overloaded with crap walking into work. My purse, my lunchbox, a clear plastic make-up bag full assorted junk to take to my desk and snack on during work, a coffee cup or bottle of soda. Occasionally I'd also bring a big thermos of ice tea. Can't forget a book to read during breaks. Sometimes my hands were so full it was hard to hold everything and still manage to swipe my ID over the sensor to get inside.
Plus, even though I brought my purse every day I never needed or used anything in it. All I needed was something to keep my driver's license and snack machine change in, so I got a little plastic pouch I could clip to my lanyard for that. And I didn't need a great big insulated lunch box because the break room is full of big coolers to put my eats in, so now instead of my lunch box I just throw my lunch in a plastic grocery bag. There's still a lot of stuff to juggle going to and from work, so I throw everything in a book bag.
Now I only have to carry one thing. One thing full of other smaller things, but still.
Just one thing.
Anyway, now I don't have a purse or lunch box to clip my padlock to when I get off work. I didn't like just throwing it in the bottom of the book bag because sometimes I'm not that careful when I put it down. Things fall out. I've been putting it in my pocket, or my little make-up bag. Every afternoon before I leave I check to make sure I've got the lock. It's usually either in my make-up bag or on the kitchen counter. Sometimes I have to dig through the laundry basket to find it.
One day a week or so ago I couldn't find it anywhere. It wasn't in my make-up bag or on the counter. I went through all my pockets, then searched the laundry basket itself.
No luck. No lock.
That was a Sunday when I was going in to get some overtime. I didn't have time to really search for it so I just quit looking and went to work. That day I just left my phone in a locker without a lock. It was either that or leave it in my car, but my car's old and I'll admit, it's a piece of shit car. You have to be careful rolling the windows down or they won't roll back up. Sometimes you've got to jerk on the driver's door so hard I'm afraid one day I'm going to jerk on it when I don't need to and end up smacking myself in the face with it.
Plus, there's something wrong with the locking mechanism. Keith warned me not to ever lock the doors. The key won't unlock it, and he doesn't think the lock switch on the armrest on the door work either. During the week I wouldn't worry too much about leaving it in my car. Maybe put it in the glove-box, maybe stuff it under the seat, something, but not on Sunday.
The building I work in used to be a big mall back in the day. Now the place is empty except for us and Elements Church. I like to think maybe it's just a front for a huge Wiccan coven that worships the four elements, but I doubt it. I think it's one of those weird new churches. Maybe the pastor's related to Jim Jones. Who knows?
All I know is I trust the people I know and work with more than a bunch of Jesus Freaks wandering around the parking lot.
Monday I forgot all about the missing padlock until it was time to leave for work. I did a quick sweep of the kitchen counter and the checked the laundry basket one more time but still couldn't find the lock then had to go. Danny, my nephew, also works at Serco and we carpool to work together, so I just put my phone in his locker that day.
And the next day.
And maybe the day after that, too. I don't remember for sure.
All I know is for a few days my lock was AWOL and I didn't want to mention it to Keith. I had a few theories. Maybe he found it laying around somewhere weird, like the back of the toilet or in the dog's food dish, and was keeping quiet about it waiting for me to admit I lost it. Or maybe he was holding it hostage. I could just picture him taunting me. 'Maybe you'd find it if you cleaned the kitchen. It's probably just mixed in with that pile of old mail, half-empty snack boxes, and other assorted crap that doesn't belong on the counter.'
That's just the kind of sneaky thing he'd do.
Eventually I gave up and admitted I didn't have a clue where my padlock was. Keith was no help, but at least I was wrong about him holding my lock hostage. I kept forgetting to make a serious search for the missing lock until it was time to go to work, so I dug up an old padlock and started using it. That lock is old, maybe it was the same lock I used in high school for all I know, and it doesn't work very well. The dial doesn't want to turn, it doesn't want to open when you finally get it unlocked, and then when you do get it open it doesn't want to lock back up.
A couple of days after I broke down and started using the piece of shit padlock I was walking through the locker room, looking for an empty locker, when I noticed a padlock on one of the lockers I like to use. A padlock that looked just like mine. Old and square and rusty. I put my stuff in a locker and then when I was walking back past the familiar looking lock I decided to take a closer look. Just for the hell of it I put my key in the lock.
It fit.
Then I tried to turn the key.
It turned.
I took the lock off and opened the locker but it was empty.
I guess Friday when I took everything out of the locker I left the lock hanging there. Maybe I even locked it, or maybe somebody saw it there and snapped it shut.
Or, maybe, just maybe, I had a visit from the Locker Fairy.
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