Aggot B. Otto and His Watch
Aggot’s phone had been ringing. The twelfth ring, he had counted. He was staring outside his broken window, looking at the flickering light across the street. On the fifteenth ring, Aggot picked up the phone.
“This is doctor Otto,” answered Aggot dryly. “Who is this?” he blurted. “Sorry, I don’t… When? Oh did I? Well, hello, how are you doing!?” Aggot sat on his unmade bed and stared at his old radio, the radio he had gotten as a gift from an old homeless man. Surprisingly, the radio still worked very well.
Aggot hung up the phone, put his trousers on and picked up his coat off of his creaky wooden floor to dust it off. He grabbed his pocket watch, the one he found walking home through an alley one night. It needed a shake every few weeks but otherwise, it did what it was needed for. Aggot put on his coat, buttoned it up to his neck, pocketed his watch and walked out the door of his modest little home.
Aggot arrived at the front stoop of a house on Leyton street. He rang the doorbell twice and checked his watch with a smile. A light came from the top window and less than a minute later, the door opened up.
“Aggot?” Said the woman who opened it.
“Hello, how are you?” He asked
“I’m well, Aggot…” replied the woman. “Do you want to come inside? It’s quite cold, now -“
“No no,” interrupted Aggot. “But I suppose since you offer, it does seem like a good idea so I’ll go ahead and take it.” The woman stepped aside. Aggot brushed by her, and wiped his shoes on the floor mat. He removed his coat, slung it on his forearm and reached his hand out to shake the woman’s hand.
“Come, Aggot, have a seat in the kitchen will you?” ordered the woman. She was already there by the time she finished her sentence. Aggot put his arm back down and walked through the hallway and into the kitchen where the woman was sitting, preparing a cup of coffee.
Aggot sat himself down and wiped his glasses off on his shirt before checking his pocket watch with a smile. The woman sat on the chair across from Aggot, facing away from him at first until she slid over a mug. Aggot and the woman exchanged eye contact as the mug of coffee rest on the center of the table.
“What brings you to visit me, Aggot?” stuttered the woman. “Is there something you… need?” A picture from the family room occupied her eyes and Aggot was focused on the coffee.
“No, not necessarily, I don’t need anything from you,” blurted Aggot as he stood up from his chair. The coffee nearly spilt and the black liquid was still rocking about as he moved his chair aside and behind him. “But Im curious as to why you called me earlier today,” he responded in a much lower tone. He checked his pocket watch again, the seconds arm still moving. “Is there something you need?” The woman look at Otto, who was waiting for an answer.
“I’m sorry,” said the woman. “I don’t -“
“Don’t be sorry,” said Aggot. “I didn’t mean to interrupt, but quite frankly, it seemed as if you needed somebody to speak to. Do you want me to leave? I can leave.”
“No no, I’m -” she paused. “I was just calling to say hello, to see how you were doing, Aggot.”
“Indeed. And you got your answer. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but there was a sound of tension in your voice. A bit hesitant, it seemed. Why did you call me?”
The woman looked away again, this time she sat more upright in her chair. All she could do was clear her throat and tap her fingers on the table.
“I suppose it’s time for me to leave, then. You look bothered,” Aggot said as he made his way slowly to the front door. The woman got up quickly, knocking the coffee mug to its side and spilling it all over.
“Wait!” She uttered as quickly as the coffee dripped down onto the linoleum. “You don’t have to leave, Aggot, I’m sorry if I don’t -“
Aggot stopped in his tracks and without looking backwards he spoke. “Did you forget what I said about being sorry already?” He put his coat on and checked his pocket watch. “Now, it seems that either I’m wasting your time, or quite actually, you’re wasting mine. If you have something to say, then I’ll listen. If I was wrong about you being tense, wrong about you needing somebody to talk to, then I will gladly be off.”
The woman took a deep breath and stared blankly for a second. “Aggot, it’s just that you caught me at a strange time.”
Aggot turned around. “Indeed I did catch you at a strange time,” he said. “But what does it matter? I am given the impression that you want to be alone right now, which is why I will leave. But I’m still confused as to why you called me like that.”
“I already told you,” said the woman. “I didn’t expect you to come, really.”
Aggot went towards the door again, but stopped short of it. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but…” Aggot looked at his watch and gave it a shake. “I am under the assumption that you are feeling lonely, and have been feeling lonely. A grand assumption, yes? Especially after one phone call and a trembling voice, and that’s why I came. You call to see hear how I was doing, I come to see how you are doing. And now that I stand here, you seem to be doing just as I assumed. This confuses me quite a bit.” Aggot let out a sigh. “You sounded lonely, yet you seem to be afraid to discuss anything about it, or even to say if I’m wrong about it. This, however, doesn’t seem to matter. You stand there, unable to answer any of my questions, you sit there, unable to look at me properly in conversation. Perhaps I’m wrong about your loneliness, and I may be. Goodbye, and have a good evening.” Aggot let himself out, and closed the door behind him. He looked at his pocket watch and the seconds still ticked.
Aggot was back home and sitting on his still unmade bed. He took off his trousers, threw down his coat and laid on his back to close his eyes listening to the soft ticking of his pocket watch. But before he could sleep, his alarm clock turned on. The loud screaming of the AM radio and static filled his tiny home, telling him to wake up. He stayed on the bed, as phone was ringing on it’s twelfth ring.