Tom's watch (es)

For many years Tom wanted a nice watch. Really nice. Like Rolex or Tag. When was diagnosed (6/2007) I decided it was time for Tom to get his nice watch. He decided on Tag and I sent him shopping to the website. He decided on the model, sent the specs to me, and I went shopping. Then I freaked out. Those things cost $2000 or more! Holy smokes! Not even in my credit line!

Then I had a brain storm. Nicole had recently gone to the Premium Outlet Center in Palm Springs which had a Tag Heuer outlet and got a great deal. I searched for more of these outlet centers and found one near Dallas. By this time it was October and a fine time to get Tom his birthday watch. And as luck would have it there was a great trail run near the Center happening in just a few weeks. Two for One - Run a race and get a great deal on a watch!

We decided to go up and as I got ready to leave the office that Friday for the race / shopping adventure I printed maps on how to get to the outlet mall. At which point I checked opening hours and shop listings. Ok here is a point of wisdom...just because there is Tag shop in the Premium Outlet in Palm Springs does not mean there is one in the Premium Outlet in Dallas. Tag has outlets in New York, Florida, and Palm Springs. Only. hmmmm. So much for Two for One. We went up only for the race.

We came home and found out prices are generally the same all over Houston: high. Then I learned the Shopping Channel has a Watch Show with great prices. We ordered Tom's watch in November for about half the price (even with the extended warranty). It arrived a few weeks later and Tom was so proud and happy. He would call me several times a day just to tell me what time it was.

And then in December one of the features stopped working. It was this little arm that is supposed to show a second time zone. Tom wanted to send it back. Now the nightmare started. In summary, after literally months and months the watch was not back, no refund was being provided, and no end was in sight.

Tom had a recurrence and was going back for more surgery. I think it was April. Using my well-honed skills at focusing on the peripheral I decided there was no way Tom was going into an operation without his watch. After confirming the decision with Michael (who always picks heart over logic) I walked calmly into the house and told Tom one of the few blatant lies in our relationship. I explained we had a full refund on his first watch and were buying a new watch today. We went to the Galleria, found his watch and paid full price. (Those of you with mathematical brains now realize I just spent $3k on a watch I could not afford for $2k). We came home with Tom's new watch and he was so happy I never regretted the decision.

Months later (August I think) the original watch came back. Tom saw it and asked me why the watch was back. I then told the second lie: I said they screwed up and sent me the watch after the refund. He asked if I was returning it certified or regular. When I let him know I had no intention of returning it, he silently questioned my integrity. As my mom says “Lies have short little legs” but mine were in a full out sprint and I could not back down. From Tom’s perspective keeping something sent to me by mistake was not a typical Theresa action. Neither was lying. Neither was wishing I could blow up the entire Shopping Channel. But people respond as necessary sometimes....

I wore the watch proudly. It was just like Tom's.

When Tom passed away I gave the watch to Nicole. She loves big watches and Big Tom and it was a perfect memory for spending so much time helping Tom and I get through the last five weeks of his life.

When Nicole got home she saw the feature that tells the second time zone was not working. In retrospect I think they never fixed it. I never looked closely.

Nicole went to a jeweler who told her it would have to be sent to Tag and would cost a minimum of $450 to be fixed. True to her nature she started crying and told the sales man the entire watch story with lots of details about Big Tom and his recent death (in my mind it is a saga like Alice’s Restaurant). It took about 15 minutes. When she was done there was a long pause. Then the salesman looked closely at the watch and said to Nicole: "It seems to me that the reason you want to track the second time zone is that you want to easily see what time it is in Heaven. Tom died in Houston and it is safe to assume that for him, Heaven is in the same time zone as Houston. Since you talk to your sister every day you already know what time it is in Houston and therefore in Heaven. I don't think you need to get the watch fixed."

My guess is a saint was working in sales at that jewelry store that day.