Towel thievery

Last night Tetsu and I went to the pool and spent some time in the sauna (which I usually don't frequent). Afterwards I popped out of the sauna and went into the bathing area. Nice and toasty warm and I sauntered into the shower room, washed up, took a hot bath and went out to where people leave their towels and things in baskets. Towels and things.

"Is this my towel? My towel is white. I thought my white towel was larger than this one."

I held out the towel and looked at it and at all the baskets.

"No other white towels here... I guess this is mine." and I wrapped it around myself and went into the locker room.

A few minutes later I noticed a lady (a friend, thank goodness!) standing naked and cold and looking into the baskets. Oh my gosh! Are you looking for a towel?

"Yes. I brought in a white towel but it's gone."

"Then THIS must be YOUR towel!" I said whipping it off and handing it to her. "I'm SO sorry. I thought it was different but my towel is white too and since there weren't any other white towels I decided it must be mine."

My friend tried to get me to share her towel with her which was already damp from me but I apologized profusely and went dripping back to the lockers.

"So, where is YOUR towel then, Tanya? Isn't it there?"

"No... Someone must have taken it by mistake."

"You know, there could be towel stealers. Was yours a nice towel? Someone must have liked it and taken it."

"No... I'm sure no one would steal a towel... It was probably some child that made a mistake."

I got dressed but everyone who came into the locker room heard from my friend that Tanya's towel had been stolen.

"That's terrible. I've heard of people stealing new shoes at an event when we all take off our shoes. People are so low!"

Shoe and towel stealing! Wow! What is the world coming to?

"Tanya! Didn't you lose an earring too last month? Someone must have stolen it."

"No, no. I'm sure it must have dropped into a drain or something. That was my fault. I shouldn't have left it on the counter. No one would steal ONE earring."

By the time I left the locker room 4 or 5 other ladies were commiserating with me about being a victim of locker room thievery.

I went out into the viewing area to wait for Tetsu. Wait a minute... What is that I see on the shelf outside of the sauna? A towel that looks distinctly like my white towel. I asked the lifeguard if he could bring out the towel for me to check. Yep. My towel. I'd left outside the sauna that I usually don't use.

How embarrassing... And all those ladies sympathizing with me and the stories getting bigger and bigger about what gets taken in a quiet locker room.

Today I teach until late and can't go to the pool. I'm ever so happy about that! Do you think by Tuesday everyone will have forgotten Tanya's stolen towel incident? Or am I going to have to apologize to everyone and explain it was another symptom of my ever increasing absentmindedness?

I guess I've learned to mark my towels. And NOT use the sauna!