Chapter 1
Working as a day laborer when I was in my twenties, I hadn't had much romance in my life. First, I was overweight and was more comfortable being quiet - not bringing attention to myself. Looking back, it was a self-esteem problem that had haunted me all my life.
My folks divorced only three years into their marriage and my father filled the description of a "dead-beat dad" to a tee. He simply wasn't there.
Mom and I had figured things out between the two of us and never had much extra money. She worked two jobs and I was expected to take care of myself. I think I ate as a way of dealing with it all.
Whatever the reason, I was always "chubby". I didn't think of myself as attractive. That did not stop me however from being drawn to women, they were simply not attracted to me.
Being determined to lose weight and have women like me who wanted to have sex with me, I worked out religiously at the local gym. The women who came there in leotards and tights mostly were screaming hot. I always carried a towel in case I needed to throw it over the tent in my sweats.
Alison was there nearly every day I was. Strawberry blond curly hair bounced on her shoulders as she walked the stair-stepper. Other parts bounced as well. Delicious breasts with visible nipples rode up and down in her tight scooped neck top. Her butt cheeks undulated with every step. I was totally infatuated with her.
After a while, I approached her. "Hey, I see you here most days that I come. Nice to see that kind of dedication. I keep trying, but don't seem to get anywhere. I'm Shane," I was trying to be friendly and connect with her.
She kept stepping. "Okay, I'm Alison and I'm really tired of unattractive men hitting on me at the gym. So, get on with your workout and I'll get on with mine." After a stinging glare she showed during her rebuke, she went back to staring straight ahead as if I simply wasn't there at all.
Man, that genuinely stung!
There were other women and other attempts that also failed miserably. It seemed I was destined to live in my fantasies alone.
This continued until a remarkable summer day, working construction on a Victorian remodel.
It had been a hot day and I had the task of taking down a wall in the basement. The dank air filled with age-old dust as I pounded with a sledgehammer. All at once, a major portion of the structure gave way and I found myself on the ground, half buried in the rubble. The crew heard the sound of smashing plaster and timber. A voice yelled down, "Are you okay?" The foreman, Graham was a good man and was always concerned about safety.
"Yea, yea I think I'm fine. The thing just came down all of a sudden."
He came downstairs and was helping me up when a sharp pain shot through my right leg.
"Shit!" I grunted. We looked closer and saw blood on my jeans and my lower leg at the wrong angle.
"Oh man, Shane, that looks broken. Just stay still and I'll get some help."
He ran upstairs calling for the crew to come to my aid. If I didn't move, the pain was manageable. I decided to just wait.
In the debris, there were some old papers and a small grimy object. It was round with a chain hanging from it. An old pocket watch! I heard the guys clumping down the rickety old steps and stuffed the watch in my pocket.
The long and short of it is that they helped me get to a doctor and I got patched up. Graham gave me a ride home where I laid down on the couch with my sore leg up. I switched on the tube and found a baseball game. Now that I was alone, I pulled the watch from my pocket and cleaned it up a bit. I pushed the button on the top and it opened to reveal an old-fashioned clock face complete with a second hand. I tried winding it but, not surprisingly found it wouldn't turn.
I glanced up at the game to see the screen had frozen with a runner in mid-stride on his way to the plate. I reached over for the remote and as I did, the watch fell which made it close back up again. In the same instant, game action resumed on the TV.
"Strange," I thought and picked the watch up. I opened it again and the players froze again. I tried opening and closing it, but every time the game stopped and started up again. Was there something about it that interfered with the satellite? How could that be?
Just then, my mom came in the front door, groceries in hand.
"Hi, sweetie. I got a call from your work that you broke your leg. Are you alright?" She had a worried tone in her voice as she set the bags down.
"Don't worry, I'm alright. A wall I was demoing fell on me and fractured a bone. Doctor Bell put me in a cast and said he'll look at it again in a couple of weeks. Hey, I found this weird watch in all the junk that fell on me."
I held it up to her and popped it open. She didn't move.
"Mom?"
Not even a blink.
What the...?"
I clicked it closed and she came to life. "Honestly, I don't care about some piece of junk you found at the job site. I care about you. You could have really been hurt. Is it painful?"
Somewhat dazed, I said, "It'll be okay. Maybe you'd grab me a beer, though?"
"Sure," she turned to the kitchen and I tried it again. Again, she stopped in her tracks.
"Hmm...Maybe I should keep this to myself for the time being," I thought, closed it, and put it back in my pocket. My mother instantly started for the fridge.
Laying there, my mind started whirring. I thought about all those lovely women at the sports center and, in particular Alison. I wondered if the watch would work at the gym. Unfortunately, I was laid up for a while with a cast and I'd have to wait to try it out.
My mom brought me a beer and I thanked her. Boy, a cold pale ale running down the back of my throat sure felt good.
"Listen, sweetie, Lorraine is coming over later. She's had a rough go of it. Bill walked out on her. He said she was just getting too old and "saggy". Can you believe it? What a prick!"
I agreed, "Yeah, I never liked him. Arrogant."
"Indeed. Well anyway, she'll be here any minute and needs a shoulder to cry on. Can you deal with a couple of old ladies commiserating in the kitchen while you rest?"
Just then the doorbell rang and in walked Lorraine, "Hello? Anybody home?"
"Come on in Lorraine. Shane had an accident at work that's got him out of commission for a while."
Lorraine is a super attractive 50-something who I had always fantasized about. Always in heels, stockings, and a skirt, you might call her a "leggy woman". I should also say something about her tits - they were monumental. Yes, over the years they were not as perky as they may have been at one time, but I have always liked big boobs that dangle a bit.
She walked in and collapsed in my mother's arms, sobbing.
"Joan, that son-of-a-bitch...after 24 years, he leaves for some perky tits little bitch that orders him around. Christ, he's like a puppy dog, not a man. Such an old cliche. Oh, I'm sorry Shane, I'm kind of a mess right now".
"No worries, Lorraine. I was just saying to mom that I always thought Bill was an arrogant asshole."
Mom said, "Well you got that right, son. Come into the kitchen and I'll get you something to drink, Lorraine."
As they moved to the kitchen, I thought about the watch. I wonder...
I flipped it open and sure enough, both women stopped mid-stride, like a DVR on pause. I grabbed the crutches Dr. Bell had lent me and struggled to my feet. They were still frozen. "Okay, time to test this thing," I thought to myself.
