He Traded a Watch for Lunch, Then Heard His Father’s Name
Chapter 1 - The Watch On The Table
The boy placed the old watch on the table as carefully as if it were worth a fortune.
“Ma’am, can I trade this for food?”
Margaret Hale looked at him for several seconds.
Then she slid the sandwich across the table.
“Eat.”
The boy grabbed it with both hands and took one desperate bite.
Margaret picked up the watch, intending to return it.
Then she froze.
The scratched steel case. The dark leather strap. The tiny initials engraved beside the crown.
M.H.
Her thumb moved over the back.
“That’s Michael’s watch.”
The boy stopped chewing.
His eyes widened.
“Michael is my dad. Do you know him?”
Margaret’s face lost all color.
“No.”
The answer came too quickly.
The boy lowered the sandwich.
“He left when I was born.”
Margaret’s fingers tightened around the watch.
At that moment, a young man approached carrying two coffees.
“Mom, who’s this kid?”
Margaret stood so suddenly her chair scraped across the floor.
“Just some kid. Let’s go, Michael!”
The boy looked up sharply.
Michael.
Margaret grabbed her son’s arm and pulled him away.
The young man glanced back at the child, confused.
And the boy, still holding the watch, slowly understood why the stranger’s face looked so familiar.
