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@cstross

The Lord of the Traffic Rings

It's about a traffic warden that sees a car lose a hubcap while taking the traffic circle to quickly. The traffic warden tries to return it, but every morning and evening the driver isn't paying attention and drives past them (it's the passenger rear side hubcap so they never notice it's missing).

Another person notices the traffic warden trying to return it every day and falls in love with their dedication. They stop one day and ask the traffic warden out for dinner. Eventually they get married and settle down, the hubcap hung proudly on the mantle as a sign of what brought them together. Then a few years later they get divorced and an ugly fight over the hubcap ensues. The original driver who lost the hubcap never notices and sells their car, none the wiser.