Dr Golden

A door swings open. A bell rings. A man walks in. Under his shoes, the floorboards creak with age. The man approaches a glass display case and lazily scans the contents. Lazily polished rings, manuscripts on sowing techniques, bracelets, a large variety of items stood before the man. He points to a silver watch, one of the only items within the store that seemed to retain a semblance of quality. His finger smudges the glass, adding to the dirt already on it. The old man running the shop gives him a toothless smile before reaching under the glass and retrieving the watch.

"Good choice," the shop keep began "It was an absolute steal, I tell you. Got this fancy ol' 70s watch for only a couple hundred bucks!" There was no reply. The man preferred not to engage in small talk anyway. It distracted from the goal at hand. The shop keep continued, "It's a fine looking watch, I tell you. Been ticking real well as long as it's been here. The fella who sold me this, ooh he was a tough nut! Had to really crack down on him to get the watch so cheap, I tell you. Mysterious fellow, he was." The seller continued to monologue as he packaged the watch in a felt-covered box. "He wouldn't say much, kind of like you." The man gave a small chuckle, if only to humour the shop keep. "Alright, here is your watch." The box was slid towards the man. He picked up the box and inspected it, before placing it down to pay for it. He handed over the bills before taking the box back and leaving without a word.

Car starts, wheels roll, and he's off. The trip back home seems to blend into nothingness. Before he knows it, the man has already arrived home. Key goes in, the lock clicks, the door opens. A woman walks up to the door. "Your late again, John." She scowls at him. "Your dinner is on the countertop. Don't expect it to be warm." The woman storms off into the next room. John glances at her, before fetching his plate and moving up the stairs to his study. The woman's voice echoes from downstairs, "Can't you eat downstairs like a normal person for once!" John turned his head before shouting back, "You know damn well that I need to work. You'd think being married for the past 5 years would mean you'd know that by now!" He slammed the door shut before slinking into his chair. He let out a deep sigh, before booting his laptop and getting to work.

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