“My sunglasses are missing!” I said. I was about to leave the locker room when I noticed I had my hat, but not my sunglasses. The woman near me shrugged. I peered into the top shelf of her locker and pointed to a pair of dark glasses. She said, “Those are mine. I just put them there.” I was baffled by the mysterious disappearance, until I checked my pants pocket and there they were. It reminded me of this story, which I recounted to the woman:
Once upon a time, circa fourteen years ago (though it seems like just yesterday), I wore clip-on sunglasses. The clip-on glasses came with a small case that I kept in the zippered outside pocket of my waist pack. When I didn’t need my clip-ons, I unclipped them from my glasses, unzipped my pocket, unsnapped the case, put the clip-ons inside, zipped my pocket, until I needed my clip-ons again. I did this over and over every day, throughout the day. At a certain point, I became lax in putting away the clip-ons. Sometimes I would put them on the counter at whatever store I visited; once I left them behind at the post office.
One day I went out. I had been wearing my clip-ons, but unclipped them to go to the gym. I clipped them back on when I left the gym. I next went to a bakery and unclipped my clip-ons. But when it was time to put them on again, I didn’t because the sky was overcast. I continued my errands, then came home. A little while later, I got ready to go out, but couldn’t find my clip-ons. Then ensued a frantic search and I retraced my steps for forty-five minutes; the stores I had visited earlier had not seen my sunglasses. I returned home, where I remembered I had a spare pair of sunglasses I could use.
A few hours later, I got ready to go out. I had my spare pair of sunglasses in one hand. The other hand checked my pocket to make sure I had my wallet. And found my clip-ons.
Notes from the cupcake rescue league 
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