The Ticking Clock

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Matt strained to avoid glancing at the grandfather clock in the corner of the room, though the longer he was sitting on that cold, hard, wooden bench, the harder it was to avoid. At one time, this place was fully decked out. But those days were long since gone and a grand clock like that just felt out of place. The door at the entrance creaked. The benches, including his, were chipped and the stain had long since faded and it smelled like a locked-up hope chest finally being opened up in the attic.

“It is lovely, isn’t it?” said a woman passing by, gesturing at the clock. She had deep wrinkles in her face and a slight hump to her back. She was struggling to drag her suitcase, though Matt noticed it was because one of the wheels was pointed in the wrong direction. Had he responded to her observation about the clock or about the broken wheel, she might have stayed to chat some more. But his eyes were trying to avoid anything, and anyone. Until it was time, that is. Though Matt had never even looked at her, she smiled at him anyway, then she continued on her path.

A police officer was making his rounds. As he walked by the bench, Matt tilted his head down, hoping to not draw attention. He glanced at his watch, clenched his teeth, and took a deep breath. Only fifteen more minutes, he thought. Then it will all be over. Thank God. I don’t know how much more of this I can take. Matt knew that he would only be making himself more neurotic by thinking of what was to happen next, but he couldn’t resist. That’s just where his mind kept taking him. His mouth was dry and his throat was getting scratchy enough it hurt. He knew he had finished it an hour ago, but Matt tried to take one more sip from the coffee cup in his hand, hoping that would help. All he got was a drop or two at best. He squeezed the cup and tightened his jaw, but didn’t let the cup go.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Around him, the room was starting to fill up. Some, like the old woman who had just passed, were pulling suitcases and carrying overnight bags. A woman in her 50’s was holding a welcome home sign and nearly breaking her husband’s hand from squeezing it so tight. She was so giddy, she was squeaking. A mom holding her four-year old daughter’s hand, was anxiously looking over crowd, making sure she had a good line of sight. Her little girl, who was wearing a Santa hat, was yawning and leaning on her mom’s leg. Who was coming and who was going? Matt didn’t know and frankly, he was too lost in himself to notice. It was all just white noise to him. The only thing he knew was ten more minutes.

A red-haired woman in a blue suite made her way through the crowd, smiling as she went. She was wearing candy cane earrings and had on a bright red scarf, just a few shades brighter than her hair. People smiled and waved back, as if a member of the queen’s court in a small-town parade was going through. As she got to the front of the growing group, she slowly waved her hand back and forth to catch everyone’s attention, though she already had it. She took a deep breath then said, “Good evening! If you are departing, please make sure you have your ticket in hand. We will be stamping them as you enter. Please keep in mind that there will be some passengers arriving. Let them depart before you make your way towards the gate. Thank you and may you have safe travels and happy holidays!”

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Matt’s annoyance with the grandfather clock was growing by the minute. The crowd was pretty big now and was clearly affecting him. He pulled on the brim of his orange hat so as to lower it just above his eye line. People were bumping into him. A teenaged boy with a gray hoodie accidentally knocked the coffee cup out of Matt’s hand. Even though it was empty, you would have thought the cup was full of steaming black coffee by the way Matt reacted. He gave the kid of slight shove with his right hand and said, “Watch out!” The aggressiveness of the movement caught the teen off-hand, as he stuttered out, “Whoa! Sorry man.” His friends just laughed as they walked away. Five more minutes, Matt thought, and he took a deep breath.

The little girl with the Santa hat was pulling on her mom’s leg, then put her hands up in the air. Her mom looked side to side, then knelt down onto her right knee to pick the girl up. As she stood, she searched around the room. Seeing an open spot on Matt’s bench, she took a deep breath, scootched her daughter up a little higher on her hip, then made her way over. As she sat down, she whispered to her daughter, “Let’s wait here, sweetie. Just lean your head back.” The little girl did exactly that, tucking her head into her mother’s neck.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Matt, who’s heart was racing now, just peered at the dang clock, while the mom was looking at Matt. Seeing a chance at some adult conversation, she said to him, “Waiting for someone?” He paused, debating whether to answer. His mind was on so many other places besides where he was at. She waited for some type of reaction, then decided to try again. “It’s just I noticed you didn’t have a bag, so I figured you weren’t heading out anywhere.” He could tell she wasn’t about to give up so easily, so finally he said, “It’s more of a something than a someone.” “Oh, a package! And a Christmas package at that! How exciting!” The mother’s overreaction caught the attention of the little girl, who suddenly popped her head up. Now she, too, was looking at Matt, hoping for some conversation to take her away from the boredom of waiting. “Is Santa bringing you a present?” she said, as she yawned. Matt loudly inhaled and slowly closed his eyes. Any second now, it would show up and this could all be over.

Before Matt could answer, the grandfather clock made a loud bang, as it does every hour on the hour, and the bus pulled up. This little girl instantly turned and pointed, shouting out “Daddy!” The mom slowly got up, holding her back, then said, “Okay sweetie, let’s go get your daddy.” The little girl looked at Matt and said, “Merry Christmas!” Before he could respond, which he wasn’t planning to do anyway, they were rushing up to the front of the crowd. As the madness of the scene came to a crescendo, with those arriving swarmed by hugs, kisses, and early Christmas presents, Matt finally stood up. He rubbed the back of his neck and was clenching his left fist, open and close. He was a tall man, just over six feet, two inches in height, and was using that to his advantage, as his eyes darted over the busying crown. Finally, he saw exactly who he was looking for. He raised his hand in the air, gesturing to get his attention. The two men made eye contact, so Matt changed his wave to an attempt to get the man to come closer. As the man, who was also wearing a Santa hat, worked his way towards Matt, he was smiling and trying not to bump into those who were still waiting for their chance to board. The little girl that had been sitting next to Matt pointed at the man’s Santa hat, showing her dad, while he held her, that they matched. Finally, the man approached Matt.

“Orange hat, just like they said. It’s hard to miss a hat like that this time of year, that’s for sure!” He said. Matt’s breathing was frantic, and his eyes were transfixed on the man’s duffle bag he had around his shoulder. His throat was so dry, he could barely get out, “Is that it?” His eyes went immediately to the bag. “Sure is. Don’t know what’s in it, but they said you were pretty desperate and was willing to pay a pretty penny for…” Before he could finish, Matt cut him off, reaching for the bag, and said “Thanks. I’ll take it from here.” The man shrugged his shoulders, gave Matt the bag, and said, “Merry Christmas.” Though he was waiting for a holiday greeting back, he could tell Matt only had one thing he cared about that night, so he gave up and left the station.

While the rest of the station was finally clearing out, and those departing were loading onto the bus, Matt just stood there, looking at the bag. His eyes were watery as he held the bag tight. This was it, he thought. The wait, the stress, the work, everything I went through…and it was finally here. Matt gulped. Now, he could finally get on with his life. Trying to gather his emotions, he looked side to side, took a deep breath, rubbed the scruff of his unshaven cheek, and walked away. The only thing that remained as a witness of his night was an empty coffee cup sitting on a bench at a bus station, and the sounds of a grandfather clock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

THE END