A Most Graceful Life Ch. 05

"I think you might be disappointed by the reality of it though," smiled Stephen, weakly. His mind ran over the recent events at Price Chopper, from the bullying by Ram, to the rejection from Abby. Working lately had been more of a trial than it should be. Yet, on one positive note, it was the first time he had thought about Abby since the day before yesterday. He knew that Grace had a lot to do with that.

"I'm going to see my mom out the door. Then how about we grab breakfast once she leaves?"

"Eggs and bacon?? Sign me up!" She practically hopped out of bed wearing the world's largest grin.

Stephen let out a little laugh at her lovable behavior. With Grace in his life, it was like the dull gray grittiness of life was slowly being wiped away, replaced by color and vibrancy. What he had taken for granted and assumed would never change had started to melt away into a world of excitement. He couldn't help but wear a broad grin as he left his room, and strolled into the kitchen to see his mother fiddling with her purse.

"Hey there, sweetie," she said, as he rolled over to kiss her cheek. "Someone's in a good mood this morning, huh?"

"Yeah, I suppose so," replied Stephen, thoughtfully. He noticed the plate of eggs and six slices of bacon waiting on the counter just for him.

"So what's the occasion?" She asked, giving him a sideways glance.

"Um, nothing in particular. Just off to a good start today," he replied, smiling.

"Well, I wish more days were like this one. It's like seeing the old Stephen here in my kitchen again. I love it!"

Stephen chuckled nervously, remembering the fear he had when he thought he would be discovered with Grace. While he didn't doubt that his mother would welcome the development of him finding a girlfriend, going about bringing her up was another matter. He wanted to do it in the best way, one that he hoped wouldn't completely shock his mother, but also that introduced Grace in the best possible light. It was something he wanted to think about more. Yet, the thought of taking that step with Grace brought another smile to his lips.

"Hello? Earth to Stephen?" His mother asked, getting his attention once more.

"Oh, sorry, Mom! Just... thinking," he said, while still wearing his smile.

"What are you thinking about? Is it something... or someone?" She asked, with a glint in her eyes.

Stephen turned red in the face almost immediately, "Oh, nothing. It's nothing, just thinking about.. work tonight." There was no way she was going to believe that.

"Work? Is that right?" She asked, wearing a grin. "Is there someone at work that you are looking forward to seeing?"

"Mom," he groaned, shaking his head.

"Okay, okay, just asking! I know you'll tell me in time," she laughed, before changing the subject. "When will you be home tonight?"

"I'm closing tonight, so after ten," he replied, grabbing a fork for his eggs.

"Okay, I'll be home. Sorry about yesterday! I didn't intend to get home so late, but you remember my friend, Beth? She had a little family emergency, so I had to cover the first half of her shift. You were already sound asleep by the time I got home."

"No worries, Mom. I figured you probably got held up," he replied. To be truthful, that was entirely normal in her line of work. Mom was a nurse at a hospital about fifteen minutes away. She was always working long hours, or picking up extra shifts to make her paycheck go a little further.

"I figured you wouldn't mind with the day mostly to yourself. Especially with the twins at their friends place for the evening. By the way, that reminds me," she said, grabbing her shoes from the closest. "I talked with Grandma yesterday afternoon. She was so happy that you came out to see them. And the best part, Grandpa is already feeling better!"

Stephen perked up, "That's great to hear! Although, he was still in his usual joking mood, even when he was flat on his back on the ground," he chuckled.

"Well, you know your grandfather," Mom laughed, while putting on her shoes. "Okay, I'm off to work. I'll see you tonight?"

"Definitely. Have a good shift!"

"You too, sweetie. Hope your good day continues. I love you," she said, brightly, before dipping out the door.

Stephen casually snuck over to the kitchen window and watched as his mother got in the car, and backed out the driveway. As soon as saw that she had left, he grabbed an extra fork out of the drawer, and took the plate of food back to his room.

Opening the door, he found Grace sitting at his desk, brushing her long light brown hair, and paying delicate attention to every strand. He wasn't sure where she found the brush, or maybe she just used her genie powers to conjure one, but after a thorough grooming, her hair assumed the usual luscious waviness that he so loved.

"Finally, you're back!" She turned around to him with the biggest smile.

"I was only gone about five minutes," laughed Stephen, setting the plate of food down on his dresser.

"Five minutes entirely too long," she replied, bounding up from his desk and launching herself into his arms. After a particularly tight hug, she looked up with adoring eyes. "Much better!"

"I brought us some food, courtesy of Chef Mom," he said, gesturing towards the still steaming plate of eggs and bacon.

"Yay!" she squealed, excitedly, and began to dig in after he handed her a fork.

"Well, at least I don't have to worry about you liking breakfast foods," laughed Stephen, as she stuck a large piece of scrambled egg in her mouth.

"Who doesn't like break'ast?" She asked, mumbling with her mouth full.

"Strange people," agreed Stephen. "I could eat breakfast for dinner, I love it so much."

Grace picked up a single piece of bacon and bit into it, causing her eyes to roll to the back of her head, "I'm really digging this whole eating thing. Thank you for including me in it!"

"Of course, babe," Stephen chuckled. "It doesn't seem right that we shouldn't be able to eat together, like a real couple."

"I'm still having a hard time believing you're my master," she said, putting her fork down and gently caressing his leg. "You are an incredible boyfriend, Stephen."

Stephen blushed slightly at her compliment, and was about to return the favor when Grace turned her attention to something else. "Stephen, what's this black box that you have on your desk?"

Her finger pointed to a somewhat obscured looking black, rectangular box that was half covered with papers and a pair of headphones. It was the only piece on his desk that had any kind of real value, and hence, stood apart from just about everything else on it.

"Oh, that! Let me show you," said Stephen, finishing his piece of bacon and reaching to uncover the box. He set it down carefully in front of himself and Grace, and undid the latch, pulling the lid open.

"Ohh, wow, Stephen! Those are so neat!" Grace said, excitingly, looking at the contents of the books.

"You're about the only girl who would find something like this neat," laughed Stephen.

Inside the box was about ten rows of very ornate, and quite dated pocket watches. The entire row of ten carried various designs, with not one the same as any other, in either gold or silver. On the face of each watch was listed the manufacturer, as well as a corresponding chain to attach it to the wearer's pocket or belt. Most of the watches worked, although several didn't for one reason or another. Most of them dated back to the early twentieth century, while a few of them dated to the nineteenth.

Stephen picked up one in particular, with a golden case. This one was labeled for the manufacturer and the year, which in this case, listed Elgin and 1905, respectively.

"My grandfather collects them. These pocket watches are what everyone used to wear before wristwatches were debuted about eighty years ago. Several of these were owned by our family members, but most have been picked up by my grandfather over time. His collection is much bigger than mine, and he has at least six of these boxes. Each box has about twenty watches inside." He lifted the first panel of ten, revealing another row of ten watches.

"When I was a teenager, I used to sit with him and watch him work on the broken watches, and try to fix them. That was always a hard task, as the pieces are practically microscopic inside and it requires both knowing what you are doing, and having a delicate touch."

Stephen took the 1905 Elgin, and produced the key, which slid into the back panel and opened up the inner workings of the watch. He handed it gently to Grace so that she could look inside.

"Those are some really tiny pieces," she noted, observing the watch up close.

"Yeah, fixing anything is a very difficult task. Sometimes, we just can't fix them on our own, so we have to take them to a watchmaker to do the job. I'll probably have to do it with that one, as I can't see why it's not working." Stephen wound up the watch several times. "With a normal watch, just winding it up like that should provide enough energy to power it for a whole day. But listen. Do you hear anything?"

Grace put her ear close to the watch, and then after a few moments shook her head, "Nothing."

"Yeah, something is wrong with this one. Potentially a broken piece inside," he said, setting the watch back down. "The best part about doing this was spending time with Grandpa and learning about watches. He was always fascinated by them and collected as many as he could find. When I turned twenty, he gave me this small collection as my gift. He always told me that they would be worth money some day, and to either hang on to them, or give them to my children one day."

Stephen assumed a faraway look as he remembered the very day when his grandfather told him that. He so much enjoyed the idea of it being a family heirloom, passed down from father to son. How fitting that the man that was the closest to a father figure initiated it for him.

"That's just beautiful, Stephen," replied Grace, looking at him with emotional eyes, and her trademark smile.

"I think you're the first person to ever be interested in it, apart from me and Grandpa," he laughed. "Most don't see the use in collecting old junk. Even my mom can't see the appeal."

"But if it's something you enjoy, and something that brought you closer to your grandpa, then why wouldn't you continue to pursue it?" She asked, making a lot of sense.

"Well, it's not exactly the sexiest hobby to have," he chuckled. "Most would rank it up there with stamp collecting!"

"Au contraire, mon amour," started Grace, beaming with a smile. "I find the care that you have for this hobby, an offshoot of the deep relationship you have with your grandfather, quite.. erotic."

Stephen had to laugh, "You'd find the eroticism in just about anything, I'd imagine. You'd probably find a way to find me wearing a fanny pack erotic!"

"That depends, are you just wearing a fanny pack and nothing else?" Grace giggled, causing an eruption of laughter from him as well.

"You're amazing," he beamed, dashing in for a quick kiss on her lips. The look of surprise on her face lasted half a moment, before turning into a content approval.

"Thank you, Stephen," she whispered, finally, while reaching out to squeeze his hand.

"For what?"

"For sharing your passion with me, your hobby. I know it was my nosiness that brought it up, but thank you for sharing with me. It means a lot to me."

Stephen smiled, "It means a lot to me that you care. Not many would. Not even Dan-, I mean, not even my friends cared," he recovered, pulling back from his original sentence. He wasn't sure if he quite wanted to walk down that road with Grace. He cleared his throat, as if meaning to change the subject.

For all of her intuition, Grace missed nothing, realizing they just came upon a fault line of their new relationship. While it would be extremely easy to look into his thoughts to see how he was really feeling, she held back, and decided not to ask the question that was on the tip of her tongue. Time would reveal answers.

"I should probably invest more time in this particular one," he started, looking back down at the broken 1905 Elgin. "I'm sure I could figure out what's wrong with it with more time."

"Babe, you know you could wish to have it fixed? I mean, you may have to wish for a blow job after, but that's perfectly within the limits of my power," Grace giggled.

Stephen thought about it for a moment, and the idea was surely tempting (even if just for the thought of another rousing climax with Grace!) but he ultimately found himself shaking his head.

"No, I think I'm going to pass on that," he started.

Grace looked like she was about to cry. When he saw the tears welling up in her eyes, he realized that she thought he was turning down her sexual offer.

"No, no, no, not that! I mean, the sex, yes, let's do that!" Stephen recovered, leading to a quick change in her demeanor. "I mean, I don't want you to fix the watch with magic."

"For a second there, I thought you were growing tired of me," Grace sniffed, and laughed nervously.

"God no! You're the best thing to happen to my life, ever! I mean, with these watches.. I don't know, I guess it wouldn't just feel right? I mean, my grandfather gave me all of these. He asked me to safeguard them, and pass them down in the family. Tasked me with taking care of them, and fixing them when they needed care. It just seems like another case of taking the easy way out, like with the working out."

Grace's eyes rolled up, as if in thought about it, "I guess I can understand that..."

"It's nothing against you, or your powers. I just want to be the one to do it myself. So like similar to when I lose the weight, when I fix a watch, I have that sense of accomplishment. That means a lot to me."

Grace finally broke out in her own small smile. "What? You think I'm a weirdo, don't you?" He asked her.

"Quite the opposite. You are the best man I've ever known," she smiled.

"You say that now, but tell me what you really think after knowing me longer than two days," Stephen chuckled, before looking down to examine the watch once more.

"What about this?" Grace asked, catching his attention once more. "What if I help you figure out what's wrong with it, so that you can get one step closer to fixing it?"

"Hmm," thought Stephen. "That's not a bad idea." He scooted closer to her, holding open the back panel of the watch.

"Generally, they are simple enough to understand despite all the parts inside. For example, winding the watch provides all the energy needed to make it run. That energy starts in the mainspring, right here. It's then transferred to the gear train, which is what moves the hands on the face of the watch. Generally there are about four different gears within the train, but one of those also drives the escapement mechanism, which is determines how quickly the wheel spins."

He pointed out each piece as Grace looked at it, instructing her on the larger mechanics of why it worked together.

"Now, winding it should usually get the gear train running, but it's not. And I can't quite see in this lighting if something is wrong."

"Perhaps I can," offered Grace, holding out her hand for further inspection. Stephen held the watch over to her, and let her examine close up.

"It's kind of hard to tell with the lighting," he smiled.

"Did you forget that I'm a super powerful genie?" She looked over at him and winked.

Stephen just chuckled while Grace continued to examine. After about a minute, she looked over at him, before handing the watch back over, "Should this part of the gear train be unattached?"

"Unattached?" He asked in confusion.

"Mhmm, this part." She used the tip of a pen to indicate the precise part of the one of the gear train that had come off, and out of alignment with the others. "If that part isn't connected, it's probably why the energy from the mainspring isn't being transferred."

"Grace, you're a genius!" Stephen clapped excitedly, before giving her a long, deep kiss.

It was her turn for blushing, and her cheeks turned rosy red at the unexpected compliment, "All in a day's work, I suppose," she giggled, humbly.

Stephen grabbed a flashlight, and shone it on the exact spot that Grace had pointed out. Sure enough, the piece was broken and would need repair. "This is great, though. I know I can get a replacement part for this from the watchmaker. Once this part is fixed, then the watch should work again!"

"Can I go with you to get the part? And help fix it once you do?" She asked, looking on with a childlike expression of eagerness.

"Absolutely! It's only fitting since you're the whole reason why we know what's wrong," Stephen laughed.

"Goodie," squealed Grace, clapping her hands excitedly in an adorable manner.

"We'll have to take it to Grandpa once we fix it. He'll be particularly proud with that one, as it used to belong to his father, my great-grandfather."

"So that's why that one is so special, huh?"

"Yeah, kind of. I mean, they are all special in their own way, but that one especially since it's been in the family for over hundred years."

"You've learned a lot about being a man from your grandfather, haven't you, Stephen?" Grace asked, quietly.

Stephen nodded gently, before turning to face her. She took the cue, and sat down on his lap, putting her head against his chest. "Yeah, I guess I really have. I umm, really don't know my own father too well. He left us when I was only ten."

"Only ten?" Grace whispered, looking slightly horrified.

"Yeah," he answered, sheepishly while running his fingers through her silky light brown hair. "You could say he really wasn't cut out for family life."

"Oh, that's sad to hear," she replied, quietly.

"I remember when he was around when I was younger. I mean, around like half the time, because he had to travel a lot for his job, and I assume he still does. You'd think when he got home, he'd just want to enjoy the time alone with mom, but they fought a lot. Mom had said that when they fought, he would start drinking more, but then the increased drinking would just make them fight more so it was kind of like a vicious cycle."

"I'm sorry, Stephen." Grace held onto him a little tighter.

"One day, my mom came home early from her shift at the hospital since they were overstaffed. Found him on the couch with his administrator. Needless to say, that fight pretty much ended any chance of them staying together. He left shortly after, and my mom had that couch out with the garbage by nightfall. I can't say I blame her for not wanting to keep it."

"Me neither."

"Since then, I've seen my dad only twice. I couldn't even tell you where he lives to be honest. I get a card for my birthday every year with twenty dollars in it, but it's usually about a month late. The last time I saw him, I was seventeen," said Stephen, looking off into the distance.

"That must be terrible. I'm so sorry, babe," she answered, reaching up to gently caress his cheek.

"It's okay, I guess," said Stephen, feeling the raw wound inside him that his father's desertion caused. "I've learned to deal it."

"You shouldn't have to deal with it, though. That's so terrible."

"I guess the twins have it worse than I do. I can still remember him around when I was younger. The twins were barely even two before he left."

"I can see why your mom always has her hands full now. Taking care of three young children and working full time must be seriously stretching."

Stephen nodded, "That's why once I was old enough to help out, I did. I got my first job when I was fourteen helping out at my local veterinary shelter. It was mostly just cleaning poop out of cages but it was something. I started working at Price Chopper when I was sixteen. Just to help mom make ends meet."