[ WP ] You wear a watch that does not work .

Tiny teeth fill in patches of his small smile as he grabs a fistful of his grandfather's shirt, tugging downwards to get his attention. The older man stops walking and stoops down to meet his grandson's gaze with an equally bright smile. The child's sparkling green eyes, full of curiosity and zest for life meet with his grandpa's eyes, like deep lakes of knowledge and wisdom pooled for the young boy to benefit from. 
 
 “ Grandpa? ” the boy begins as his grandfather raises his eyebrows in reply. “ Why does n't your watch move? ” 
 
 “ Oh, that's because it's strapped to my arm, ” he responds jokingly as they both laugh. “ No, no. It's because it stopped working. ” 
 
 “ Why? ” his grandson asked simply. 
 
 “ Well, you see— ” he begins before picking up the young boy and walking to the rocking chair atop the porch. “ It did n't need to work any more. ” 
 
 They sat together as the child processed this reply, his grandfather rocking slowly as they sat in ruminative silence. His eyes scanned the length of the wooden chair arm as though searching for his next words within the grain. In time, he finally decided on what he should ask next, turning towards his grandfather readying the reply. Knowing where the conversation would go, the elderly man smiled and waited quietly. 
 
 “ Why did n't it need to work any more, grandpa? ” he began, before deciding to add on to the question. “ Why do you wear the watch if it does n't work? How do you know what time it is? Will we miss dinner now? I'm getting hungry. ” 
 
 “ You just ate! ” he laughed in response, not expecting that particular question and declaration. “ Well, as for the watch, I wear it to remind me of something important. I keep the watch on, you see, so that I can remember that day every time I look at it. If you're lucky, maybe one day you'll have something like that too. ” 
 
 “ Why do n't I see anything when I look at it, grandpa? ” he asked, grabbing the watch and staring at its face. 
 
 “ That's because you were n't born yet! ” he laughed, rubbing the boy's head gently. “ It happened when I was just a young man. My dad, your great granddad, gave me the watch for my seventeenth birthday— ” 
 
 “ Seventeen! ” the boy exclaimed, “ you were old grandpa! ” 
 
 “ Heh, it'll be here sooner than you know it, ” he replied, before concentrating on where he left off. “ Ah, as I was saying, I got the watch for my birthday and it had been a couple of months since I had it. The watch was starting to go slow on me and I knew it was about time to get the battery replaced. Well, as I went to the local five-and-dime to see what I could do for my watch, I found the most beautiful thing. ” 
 
 “ What was it, grandpa? What was it?! ” his grandson asked anxiously. 
 
 As his grandfather started the answer the question, a sharp squeaking noise sounded from the screen door to their left as an elderly woman, the boy's grandmother, stepped out. Stepping onto the porch, she walked towards the two with a small sack of freshly baked cookies in one hand and three glasses in the other. Before she could turn around and retrieve the lemonade from the kitchen table, her grandson called out. 
 
 “ Grandpa is telling a story grandma! ” he said excitedly, bounding on his grandfather's knee. 
 
 “ Oh, really? ” she replied with an eyebrow raised and her hand at the man's back. “ What is it that you're telling him this time? ” she asked as the bent down to kiss him. 
 
 “ Oh, nothing. Just a little history, ” he responded with a smile as the boy stuck out his tongue in disgust. 
 
 -087
