Possumblog

Tempus Fugit

Jonathan met me in the kitchen yesterday morning as I was trying to get his sister and him all fed breakfast and out the door.

"Dad? Do we have a watch I could take to school?"

What a weird question. "A watch? What do you need a watch for?"

"To tell time with!"

"Don't y'all have clocks in your classrooms?"

"Well, yes sir, but except not in Math. Or Social Studies."

"Are you ever late for class?"

"No sir. Can I take a watch?"

Persistent little cuss he is. But I had figured out a couple of sentences ago that he was probably less interested in actually telling time than he was in having a fashion accessory.

"Son, could it be that you're not really wanting to know what time it is, but just want to have a watch to wear around?"

"No, Dad--I need to know what time it is!"

Heh. Kids!

"Well, let me tell you what--go upstairs, look in the right side of the armoire, look in the middle there where my ties are and there's a round metal can there with a bunch of old watches, and if you want, I will let you wear my Timex that I use when I'm working on the car. Is that okay?"

"YES SIR!!"

He scurried off to collect his booty--one of those black plastic Timex sports watches with a white Indiglo dial. I got it several years ago for just the reason I said, working on the car or cutting the grass so I wouldn't scratch up my good watches. And it has been a great watch, but I don't mind if he does lose it or break it, since it only cost a few dollars--and I've gotten my few dollars worth out of it.

He proudly bounced back downstairs and I said solemnly, "Son, don't lose my watch. Don't break my watch. Don't let anyone else have my watch. Understand?"

He did.

Got home last night after my bout in the dentist's torturarium and Boy was running around trying to get ready for Scouts. I took him on to his meeting because I needed something to take my mind off the throbbing in my jaw, even if only for a little while. As we sat there in the parking lot waiting for his Scoutmaster to get there, I noticed he was messing with his new wrist adornment.

"Anyone notice you had a watch on today?"

"Well, I showed Adam."

"And?"

"He thought it was really cool. It says it's water resistant to 50 meters. That's 165 feet. You know how I got that? I multiplied 50 times 3.3. Mom doesn't like it, though."

Glad he came up for a breath. "Mom doesn't like it!?"

(First I'd ever heard her say anything about it!) "No, she says it's too big for my arm."

"Nah--just makes you look all manly and masculine and stuff. Hey, bud, let me tell you something--if you promise not to tear it up, or lose it, or stuff like that, I will let you have that and it can be yours. Okay?"

"You're going to let me HAVE it!?"

"If you'll take care of it."

"Wow. Thanks, Dad!"

He admired it and then hopped out when the rest of his folks started arriving. All I could think about making the short drive back home is that he's all grown up now.

How did that happen?

Posted by Terry Oglesby at September 12, 2006 01:44 PM