Short Story: The Watch (Part 1)
Matthew Freeman didn't like to waste time. Every minute - and sometimes every second - of his day from the moment he woke up in the morning to the very instant he went to bed that evening was scheduled and accounted for. He prided himself on finding the quickest and most efficient ways to get things done. Walking to work even at a brisk pace was too slow for him. He could run to work, take a minute and a half to spruce up in the restroom, and be in his seat ready to work faster than even if he drove. Besides, he didn't trust the unpredictability of city traffic, leaving it to chance when and where a delay such as an accident might occur.
Redundant, superfluous activities were weeded out upon discovery. For example, over time he found he got more work done if he consciously blinked less, excessive blinking being a total waste of time. He shaved his scalp once a week, saving the time it would take to comb it everyday and the extra time to wash longer hair. Even in his leisure time, proficiency ruled as sovereign. Thus, speed-reading novels of epic size was his favorite hobby. Time lost due to disorganization was probably his greatest pet peeve. Consequently, to avoid undue stress, his pantry was for the most part organized by meal so he wouldn't have to waste time hunting down ingredients. Where this was impractical, organization was alphabetical.
His greatest desire, on the other hand, was to get everything done and still have a minute to spare at the end of the day. But, rarely did every item get checked off his To Do list. There was always something he missed. Oh, if only there were one or two more hours in the day.
One day on his run to work in the morning, he saw some street vendors a few blocks ahead of him. This wasn't an unusual scene, for would be merchants often hunted for bargain seeking pedestrians. Matthew normally ignored them. He didn't have time to haggle prices with them, but he wasn't going to pay high prices either. This time, though, a particular vendor caught his attention.
"Watches for sale!" The vendor bellowed with all his might. "I promise you it will save you time." Matthew glanced down at his own watch, and since he was ahead of schedule, he decided he had time to investigate. "What do you mean it will save me time?"
"Brand new design," the vendor said. His voice was softer than before with a hint of excitement. "These silver areas on the back of the watch and along the inside of the band send signals to your brain to release adrenaline at specific intervals based upon the setting you choose." He paused for a moment to let his statement sink in a little. "It will allow you to work longer without taking breaks."
Matthew didn't allow his emotionless expression to falter, so the vendor added to his sales pitch. "You will work faster with more energy, and you won't get tired no matter how long you work."
"How much?" Matthew asked.
"Fifty bucks."
"Too much."
"Tell you what, then," the vendor said, "I'll sell it for forty-five, and you can bring it back tomorrow for a full refund if you don't like it."
Matthew knew his original price was probably worth it, and the offer of the refund didn't hurt. He nodded in agreement while reaching for his wallet. He paid with two twenty-dollar bills and a five. Before the vendor gave him the watch, he said, "Let me give you one word of warning. This thing can be addictive." Matthew wasn't worried, for he had quit caffeine and cigarettes cold turkey in the past. "Nothing controls me," he told the vendor as he took the watch. Without another wasted second, he continued his run to the office.
He didn't have time to mess with his new watch until lunchtime. After he ate his leftover spaghetti, he dug the watch out of his pocket. There were two small circles on the top half of the perfectly round face, one to show heart rate and the other to show the date. The bottom half contained a rectangle, showing the time.
Matthew looked at his other watch and noticed that his new watch showed the same time, within ten seconds of each other. He contemplated correcting this deviation but determined time was better spent locating the adrenaline setting. Two black buttons were on the right side of the face. He pressed the top one a couple of times, scrolling through a menu. He stopped when he saw the word settings appear below the time. He pressed the lower button, which replaced the word settings with adrenaline. He pressed the top button again several times, scrolling through the various time intervals. He didn't want to overwhelm his system, so he chose a setting near the bottom.
He placed the watch on his right wrist and tightened the band. Almost immediately he felt a strong urge to inhale deeply. He exhaled, smiling, as if he'd just run a mile in four minutes. "Well," he said out loud, "that was fast." He had worried all morning that his purchase wouldn't meet his high expectations, but if it performed in the long run anything like it performed in the first ten seconds, it wouldn't only meet his expectations but far surpass them.
He returned to work in the best mood that he could ever remember having. As he sat down, he thought about how he had worried earlier and how he had mentally reprimanded himself for wasting time worrying about something that was in the past. He grinned and then whispered to himself, "Now, I may have time to worry and not have to worry about worrying."
To read the second half of this story, click HERE.
