Lost and found

On my way out to go to Phoenix on Saturday morning, I decided to wear one of my favorite pairs of clip earrings. I have quite a little hoard of the things by now, ranging from viciously uncomfortable to dangerously flimsy with a few wearable pairs in the middle; this was one of the most useful ones. All was well until, waiting at the shuttle pick-up point, I took out the left earring to use the cellphone. When the call was done and the shuttle arrived, I couldn't find the earring. I spent the whole weekend rootling through my pockets and bags to no avail, and eventually, sadly, concluded that it must have fallen from my lap and rolled into a corner somewhere, and that even if I found it on my return it would probably be spoiled. Then, on the ride home this afternoon, as the shuttle swung onto Tucson's surface streets and I put away my book, I realized that I was staring right at a familiar little oval of purple-gray stone and marcasites -- clipped to the cuff of my jacket, which was on my lap.

Come to think of it, I'm fairly amazed that it stayed there through multiple takings-off and puttings-on and flingings-over-chairs and turnings-out-of-pockets. You'd think the more likely outcome would have been for it to fall off some where en route and leave its fate forever a mystery.