wrist watch

i think the battery in my watch is dying. the second hand ticks a little slow. it's actually a little past eleven o'clock, but the hands on the watch shows eighteen minutes till eleven. i know that all it needs is a new battery, but the idea of this watch dying is upsetting. i bought this watch over a decade ago with the money i saved from working at my uncle's restaurant. the sun and moon style was popular at the time, and i wanted one. i was in the eight grade at the time so it was a sensitive time in one's life, especially the need to feel normal and accepted. but i would look at this watch every day and knew i had to really like it for itself as well.

i looked at the watches at roses and wal-mart and didn't like any of them. then, i moved my way up to sears and jcpenny, but still, none of them appealed to me. there was just something about those sun and moon watches that didn't hit me right. maybe the way the sun and moon looked. the way the whole face of the watch looked. the font of the numbers. the hands being too plain or too decorative. it was my hard earned money, not money my mommy or daddy gave me. sure, it was just a watch, but this was going to be a gift to myself, my first nice gift to myself. i think i would've waited forever until i found one that felt right.

then, at belk, i saw it. i loved that it has a little hole that showed the date. the cutout for the sun and the moon was just the right size. the needles were simple but not flimsy looking. the numbers were in roman numerals, something i didn't even consider i would like. there is a slight sense of depth to it, with a large cutout just inside of the ring of numbers to reveal a different textured material that, then, had a cutout for the sun and the moon to pass through. i've always prefered analog watches over digital watches. analog watches translate time into space. the hands have that much more space to pass before a certain time. and the sun and moon remind me that the day is passing, not just the hours, minutes, seconds. there was just something so pleasant and right about it. it cost $55 plus tax at the time. back then, especially for an eighth grader, that's quite a bit of money. but i was fortunate enough to have the money at the time. everything about it, the watch itself, the circumstance, was just right. so i bought it.

i look at watches every now and then when i shop, but i can't imagine not wearing this watch while it still works. i've changed the straps a handful of times. the glass is scratched. the frame has lost much of its color. yet i wear it every day, for every occasion. it might not match anything else i'm wearing, but it matches me and reminds me of who i am.