Two Lives and a Soul # 19 by Ojay Aito

CHAPTER 19

I have always felt that hot tea was meant for those in temperate regions of the world, not for us who live in the tropics, and have to grapple daily with the consequence of living along the constant path of the sun’s intensity.

The only way to have my cake and still eat it, was to keep talking while my tea grew cold. I enjoyed the croissant and fruits no doubts. I was sure granny noticed that I had hardly taken more than a sip from my tiny tea cup. I caught Sally smile once or twice behind her cup as well, as I talked about Kobo Olanta and my former Lebanese boss. Then came the inevitable question of why I preferred to work as a guard.

“A watch guard,” I had first corrected. “Being a watch guard is more prestigious than being just any guard. In the sense that you have to keep watch on the visitors, and also watch the clocks tick away, and not feel too sorry for yourself because you realize that your life is passing away with the time. It takes a gift to handle that.”

Two Lives and a Soul by Ojay Aito

Tick tock, tick tock, I blinked twice as I stared at the table clock. Waiting. Waiting for it to come alive. Today, I just happened to be awake earlier than my alarm clock. Seated idly at my room desk, I traced the frame of the medieval time piece with my eyes. For the first time I imagined the scope of knowledge that had conceived the idea of creating a device that served two purposes. As the world grew older, innovations have led men to create devices that met more than one need. And after having read the Blue Ocean Strategy, it was easy for one to realize that such models have been long ingrained into the business world as well.

No, I’m neither into the whole hocus-pocus of the business world, nor into the scientific postulations of propagated theories. I’m just a twenty seven year old sales man, with a 1907 alarm clock as the only bequeathed property from my grandfather, a man I met before my brain could keep vivid memories. He died only a day to my christening. So my dad named me after him. His name was Eli.