Moleskine redux

Today, I decided to abandon my disintegrating large-ruled moleskine notebook and begin the replacement. So I sat down, opened the book, picked up a pen, took the cover off the nib, then smoothed out the page I wouldn't be writing on, preferring to begin on the third side, that is the first side of the second page because the first page is glued too closely to the stiff cardboard page inside the cover and one can't write on a firm, smooth surface if one uses that page.

So, at the top of the first side of the second page, I wrote two words. Then I noticed the small square of kitchen towel - used to absorb any residual ink - was missing. Could it have fallen out? I look around my table. No. But it had to be there. I cut one out specially the night before and left it inside the notebook! So I looked again. And then I found it. It was where I had left it, that is in-between the second side of the first page and the first side of the second page. I had begun writing at the wrong end of the book.