Sia picked up the watch to wear to work today. It was a pretty one, a birthday gift from Arin. She was excited to show it off at work. She picked up the precious gift and admired the rose gold big round dial. It was indeed her favorite style. The one she had always dreamt of owning one day, when she had enough money to buy it of course. And then she admired it a little more and realized it was not working. Right at that moment she lost it. Taking it off the wrist in a hasty manner she threw it on the dresser angry and crying with tears rolling down her eyes. This was the third new watch that had stopped working. The third most expensive one. At least the others lasted a week. Sia felt the anger burning through her makeup dressed cheeks. She was exhausted from fighting with stores over warranty issues. After the last time, she had decided that it was going to be the final try. But like the last two, this one failed her as well.
She gathered herself, brushing her hair with the wooden comb wiping the spoilt makeup off her face. And thought to herself, why does she care so much about a watch? She is a smart, independent, and a damn funny woman, who has never ever cared for such materialistic things in life, so why today? Why does it hurt so much? It was just a watch? Nothing to spoil the whole morning over. And then she opened the lower drawer of the dresser to reveal the old one. The loyal one. It was a silver watch with a small round dial. The ones with no numbers but just the two hands ticking away. It looked even more pretty today as she picked it up to wear. The silver strap was like small links joined that easily folded wrapping themselves around her slender wrist. She had worn it every day for the past 12 years and not once it stopped working. Twice every year Sia would change the time on it, adjusting to the time-change and it would start exactly where she wanted it to.
Sia put it on and smiled thinking of the day she had brought the watch for herself. She was leaving the old job to start her own company and this was her way of celebrating the new venture. Her sisters had loved it so much that they even tried to buy one just like it. But it was strangely one of a kind. Sia did not realize how long she stood there admiring the watch thinking of all the past presentations and client meetings the watch had accompanied her to, like a loyal teammate. Life had been unfair but like an efficient teacher had taught her some extremely important lessons as well. She looked up in the mirror and smiled one more time feeling proud of who she had become. And decided to go to work today without any makeup.
“Sia, I am running late. Are you ready or not?” yelled Arin. “I am almost ready, give me two minutes” Sia replied in a calm tone, which was completely unusual from her everyday anxious voice.
Arin snapped at her as she came out ready to leave, “You are again wearing that old watch? Why can’t you try something new? What is wrong with you? What, you don’t like it now? You chose it, dammit.” Arin was visibly angry looking at her wrist shamelessly wrapped in the old one.
She replied, putting her shoes on, and grabbing her bag, “It stopped working already. I did like it but not anymore. It does not work. What is the point of spending all that money on such an expensive brand when it does not solve its sole purpose? I do not need it. I will return it on my way back from work.”
Arin was now irritated and quite angry, for he was clearly very late listening to Sia talk about a watch. He picked up his coffee mug and walked out of the door almost slamming it. Sia caught the door right before it closed, reducing the slamming sound, and replied, “I will, for sure. Do not need it. Don’t want it.” She was sure he did not hear or understood her tone at all so she made a mental note to email him explaining clearly once she was sitting with her coffee at her desk. She sighed breathing in the morning fresh air admiring how beautiful her wrist looked in that watch. She made another mental note to never forget how the watch made her feel holding onto her wrist. And then the phone rang. It was an old college friend, Claire asking if she had any time available after work for drinks. And Sia, a non-drinker herself replied, “Yes, I do sweetheart. Just text me where?” It was going to be a brand new day.
Black Coffee and Grey Stories 