“I’m going for my morning stroll round the block, Ma. I’ll return by half past ten,” I called out to my mother as I opened the front door.

“Fine by me. Have fun!” she answered.

I was rather warmly greeted by the sun, which was beating down on me, as I sauntered down the block. Apart from that, the pleasant aroma of the bakery, down the lane wafted into my nostrils. Opposite the bakery were a bunch of cheerful kids riding their bikes and some were flying their kites in the park. The kites coloured the sky ever so neatly, complementing the dandelions and daisies in the park.

In the park, I carried on with my daily stretches for a while, after which I returned home. Upon entering my house, I headed to my room. There I curled on the bed with my usual book. I had been so engrossed in the story that I only heard Pa calling me after he had repeatedly called out my name probably five times. He told me that they were going to mall for some grocery shopping so I should come along too. So I put on my sneakers and darted to the car.

The mall was a 15-minute drive from our house. I gazed out the window to admire the hustle and bustle of the city, alongside the gorgeous greenery by the roadside. Ultimately, we reached the mall. The first shop we saw as we entered was of watches and clockwork.

Pa had longed for me to own a watch, particularly a Rolex. So he scurried into the store and ran his eyes over almost every watch he possibly could, from Chinese silver to Merdocx green. I bet he would’ve savoured over the idea of spending the night here. Nevertheless, I glimpsed something gleaming at the far end of the shop. It was as if it was calling my name!

I caught Pa’s hand and took him there. Since he was a horologist, he defined the old beauty as a GaGa Milano Slim 46mm immersed in clear-cut Brazilian gold. I had admired it at first sight and positioned it around my wrist.

After getting over with the payment, we went to the grocery store. When we entered, we sensed the air was filled with energy and shopping vibes. As it was a Sunday, the supermarket was extremely congested. We somehow managed to meander through the crowd and ran through the extensive set of aisles. Actually Ma and Pa forgot to bring the grocery list along, so they were trying to recall the items and it was taking them longer than usual.

Soon my gaze fell on an elastic band watch on display. So I went to the display counter, took my Rolex off and tried that elastic band watch on. It didn’t amuse me much, so I took it off and put it back again and scooted towards my parents.

When we were almost exiting the supermarket when it hit me — my Rolex was no more on my wrist! Panic gripped me.

“Where did it go?” I asked myself but was too disturbed to recall when I could have lost it.

Just then a pleasant voice entered my ear. “A GaGa Milano Slim 46mm Rolex has been discovered. The owner may collect it at counter number 047.”

I was on cloud nine pumping my fists into the air with joy. Pa had a mixture of emotions encompassing both worry and relief. We bolted towards counter 047 and expressed our gratitude to the counter lad and returned home.

At home, I was given a huge lecture on carelessness and thankfully, I’ve never ever done such a thing ever again.

Published in Dawn, Young World, May 27th, 2023