Scary Story

So, I have mentioned on WC several times that I am a high school teacher. What I have not mentioned is that I work at a private boarding school. You can imagine the setting: A prestigious New England prep school. Need I say more?

Well, I have become known by students and faculty as the resident "watch guy" and have resized bracelets and changed batteries. One day, a student came into my classroom at the end of the day. I do not teach this student, but the school is small enough for us to know each other well enough. He comes in and asks if I can resize the bracelet on his watch. I say, "Sure, of course!" and he rushes back to his dorm to grab it. Later in the day, the school was set to have a special holiday dinner before the holiday break, and this student wanted to wear this watch. I cannot remember now if he was borrowing it from his father or a friend, but no matter.

The student returns with a black velvet bag with a watch box inside. I say No problem.

Sidebar: I hold myself to some rules. Rules are always great to fall back on, and in the game of watch fixing for friends, family, and students, I like to think of The Transporter.

Well, these rules come back to bite me. Maybe sometimes it's okay to ask questions and open the package!... Back to the story.

I tell the student that I'll go size it up before I head to practice (I coach as well). I come home and get out my tools. I open the bag and box to see this looking back at me.....

I nearly faint.

I went and got my gloves on. The student never mentioned what kind of watch I would be working with! It is now my duty to resize this puppy, a watch that costs a little less than what my childhood home cost when my folks bought it.

So size it, I did..... but first, for myself.

I have gone cliff jumping, hiked up snow-capped mountains on two continents, swam in shark-infested waters, ran a dogsled into the Canadian wilderness, ran a triathlon, and gotten married. NOTHING was as stressful and scary as this. The whole time it was in my house, I thought so irrationally. "What if a meteor was to come crashing into the atmosphere and hit this exact table that I am at right now?" What if my house just caught fire...I am sure my wife would get out, BUT WHAT OF THE WATCH?!" I only have so many kidneys I could sell!

Jump ahead a few hours, and I had done it. I dropped off the kid's watch...trying to hold in my vomit from the nerves. He looked great at holiday dinner, and I came face to face with the most amazing watch I will ever get to handle. But man, my heart still races when I think about this watch being in my house—scary stuff. I don't know how you high rollers do it!