Page 4 of A Gift of Time
“Sure,” I replied. “I’m kinda in a hurry.”
He went behind the counter and unlocked a glass case on the wall. Once it was open, he pulled out a small clock. “Time is not to be wasted or taken for granted, and this will always remind you that every second is a blessing.”
The cryptic way he talked bugged me. It was like talking to a life-sized fortune cookie. But I was drawn to the item. Emerald green with swirls of gold, the clock was beautiful. Roman numeral lettering was set against an off-white backdrop, and the hands were gold.
Caden would love it.
“I’ll take it,” I said, pulling out my wallet. “How much?”
Nick watched me a moment with a gleam in his eyes. “You’re a wealthy man. The monetary price isn’t anything you can’t handle. Just say the word, and it’s yours.”
I scoffed at hiswealthy mancomment. I wasn’t anywhere near as wealthy as I wanted to be.
“So, it’s free?” I asked, hesitating.
There had to be a catch. People didn’t just give things away.
That damn look was back in his eyes, and he nodded. “My gift to you. There is more to life than materialistic riches. I hope this clock helps you see that.”
Yeah. I didn’t see how a dumb clock would teach me anything about life, but whatever got me out of there the quickest, I’d do it.
“That’s nice, Nick. Can you box it for me?”
As he wrapped the clock and placed it in a gift box, I looked at the time on my phone and cringed. Yep. I was a dead man.
“Merry Christmas,” Nick said, giving me the gift.
“Yeah. You, too.”
With the box under one arm, I walked back out into the cold night and got in my car.
