The Clock
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The Clock |
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| by Teresa Lee Killough | |||||||||||||||||||
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| When I was nineteen I worked in a drug store. It wasn't a
great job, just another in a long line of not so great jobs. You see I
didn't stick with jobs for very long. A job was something I had to do to
get gas money and movie money. But anyway back to the drug store. The store was located down town in a small mall, next to a low income neighborhood. I saw all kinds of people coming in, the elderly who came usually once a week to get their prescriptions and to do a little sale shopping. "There's always something on sale at a drug store." We had the businessmen, who ran in for a pack of gum and some magazines, probably on a topic like fitness or cars. Then there were the lunch ladies. They would come in for everything imaginable, from hair and skin care to dish detergents. You had to watch out for them, they only had an hour for lunch and that meant they wanted to get checked out in two minutes or less. No matter how many people were in line. Being in the neighborhood we were in you saw some characters. People just getting by; people who know what it's like not to have anything.. They not only have nothing, but also have given up on having anything ever. Watching them walk in and look for something that would bring some kind of happiness. How do I know this you may ask? Well on one particular day two girls came in. One was much older than myself, the other around twelve, they had a sale sheet with them and a very intent look on their faces. I was busy trying to get some lunch ladies out the door when they walked to the display case beside the front counter. When I finished ringing up the last lunch lady, I walked over and asked if I could help them with something. The older girl showed me an ad for a clock that was on sale. I looked at the ad, it read, "alarm clock reg. $12.99on sale for $5.99." I then found the clock located in the display case and pulled it out. When I handed the clock over the counter top to the older girl, she took it like it was a piece of gold or breakable china. She showed to the younger girl and said "I'm going to buy this clock for you" The young girl looked up at what I was pretty sure was her big sister and took the clock. She looked at it with eyes so pure and with such amazement, 'she was actually getting a clock' But as quickly as the light showed in her eyes it was gone again. "You can't buy this," " we don't have any money." My heart was breaking, I thought of al the jobs I've had and all the opportunities I've had, and of all the clocks I've had. The older girl looked at her sister and said, " I have been saving money to buy you a clock, so that you can get up in time for the school bus and not have to walk to school." " I want you to go to school everyday and do good." They walked over and placed the clock on the counter, I hit the keys on the cash register to ring up the clock. After tax it came to $6.41. With all her pride, the girl laid down her money, three dollar bills, ten quarters, seven dimes, four nickels and a penny. I put the clock into a bag and watched them walk out the door hand in hand. Happy maybe just a short time, who knows what their home lives are like. Both in shabby clothes and old sneakers, hair barely combed and lightweight jackets when it was so cold outside. But they have each other and now they have a clock. I looked for them in days after that. I never did see them again, but thought of them often. That was until I got another job, this time in a shoe store, or was it a sandwich shop. You know what? It may have been a movie theater. Who really knows, because although those two girls touched my life that day, it would take many other clocks so set me straight again.
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