Ever year or so Eve asks me if I still have my pen. She is referring to the beautiful sleek black Cartier pen she bought me years ago that I keep in my office. Being prone to losing things, I resolved never to take that pen out of my office. Every night before I leave work I put it away (the spot will not be revealed in case any of you get any big ideas), and then I take it out in the morning. And for years, it has always been there.
Then, suddenly, one day, this past May after being safe for years, it was missing. I scoured the office. It was nowhere. I could only assume that perhaps someone in my office signed something and inadvertently pocketed the pen. It was gone forever.
I also keep a pair of magnifiers on my desk. Coming back from vacation this past week it too was suddenly missing. This was not an overriding concern. Magnifiers are easier to replace than a Cartier pen. But sure enough, at our office meeing later that morning, there was someone in my office wearing my magnifiers, claiming it was theirs. Not so, I said, pointing out the identifying mark on it.
That made some others in the office wonder if perhaps the long lost pen was lurking undetected. After a thorough search again, there it was, turned upside down in someone's pencil holder.
I told Eve that I had bad news and good news. She wanted to hear only the good news. I wrote, "I found it!" though she had no idea what I was talking about.
An office can be a dangerous place. I must remember never to leave my wallet around.