There is this sort of help desk in the men’s locker room at the gym. I can only imagine that it is the same for the women’s locker room. They call it “the cage.” The help desk, I mean. It has a cage around it, though I am not sure what purpose the cage serves. Maybe they are afraid that a mob of naked men will try and steal all the regulation gym clothing. Did I mention the regulation clothing? Anyway, if you don’t want to check out clothes for free you can buy your own set at the gym’s store, but not in the men’s locker room. There are also washing machines and dryers back there.

Along with clothing you can check out towels. That was what I was trying to do as I stood in line. I was dripping with sweat. I wanted to get out of my sweaty regulation gym clothes and wash up.

I go and run four miles every week day. My wife asks “why not five?” and I say, “because that is too many, four is enough.”

“We’re out of clean towels,” I heard the man behind the cage tell a sweaty guy in front of me. I frowned.