Locks (A Dialogue)

"I did it again!"1

"You didn't!"2

"I did.  I did it again!"3

"Let me see it."4

"Yeah, ok man, you try it."5

"Where's the tag?"6

"I think I left it in the sauna."7

"How do you leave something like that in the sauna?"8

"It's ok though, I got it written down.  I'll just ask for the yellow card at the front desk."9

"I can't believe you," I say.10

"Well, you know me," he says.11

If my friend ever read this he would probably shoot me, but it's not like I said his name, right?  And who's to say any of this really happened?  Who's to say "I" is really me, the author?  No one except me, and well, maybe him.  Ah, here he comes again.12

"Well let's try the ticket."13

He tries it.14

"Nope."15

"Every time!  You and these things. . .  Let me try."16

"No, eh?"17

"No man, maybe you should just get the lock cut and be done with it.  Who's tag is this one here?"18

"That one's not mine.  Mine starts with a 3.  I know that for sure."19

Our third buddy comes along, gets changed and wonders what's going on.  Well, one way or another, they get to figuring things out and it turns out they put the combinations on the same bench near each other and they managed to switch them.  So it turns out this unknown number on the bench by its lonesome was my first buddy's lock all along.  All this for a swim. . .  Did I mention they ran out of towels?  Yea, I was fine, I always bring a spare, but my buddy, he didn't have one. . .  And now he's talking about getting his own locker with his own combination.  (I hope he remembers to bring a towel while he's at it.)  The poor guy has such bad luck with the whole locker system, but hey, he wants to swim.20