The Gold Watch

I met the most attractive guy I had ever seen. I was 18 and working my first full-time job here in the Hudson Valley. John was different from other guys I had met, he was kind, considerate, and funny. It was always a treat to see Mr. tall, blonde and tan.  He had a car and wore a fancy gold watch that he would always fidget with.  I was smitten with him.

John would come in the store where I worked almost daily, while we had the benefit of a great friendship, we never took that leap into a relationship. After a period of time I married.  John and I still remained friends.

The chaotic  Christmas season was upon us. I worked in retail and it was crazy busy in the store.  John came in and was clearly frustrated. I wouldn’t know why until later when it was too late. I asked him what the problem was and he couldn’t talk about it. He gestured with a waive, which meant he would talk to me later. Little did I know, later would never come.

The next day a co-worker came rushing in to find me. He was young and oblivious to how I felt about my friend. Jim just blurted out, “DID YOU HEAR ABOUT MR. DELI MAN?!” (That is how he referred to my friend. John worked in a deli.)  “HE’S DEAD!” I could not believe what I was hearing. John was murdered. Manslaughter as it would be judged later. John lost his life fighting over a girl. He was stuck in the larynx and left in the cold to die. I then understood what his frustration was and realized I never would see my friend again, or ever again for that matter.

This story is not over. I did see John again.

They say that spirits or ghosts are struck between this existence and the next due to some tragic event or some unrest. Maybe they just are not aware that they have expired.

I was asleep. I awoke to a bright light in the living room. I was immediately miffed at my now ex-husband for not turning out the light. Just then I realized that the light was not on. I woke myself out of my fog. I blinked and I blinked again. The glow was still there on my couch. Just then I saw the bright glow very slowly move toward the door. There was one thing I could clearly make out. It was the shine of a gold watch.

UPDATE 8/17/2009:

If  you read my story titled The Gold Watch , you know that I never had closure after the death of my friend.

A colleague asked me about my site today and I started to tell him about my story and he said “John Doe?” (don’t want to use his real name). I said, “Yes”! Did you know him? He said, “Yes!, I knew him well.”

I told him my ghost story and then we connected later online via Facebook.

We chatted a little about how John died, and I now know where he is buried. I will be visiting his grave soon to say goodbye.  Something I was never able to do.

How ironic is that?

Update October 2009:

In October 2009,  I finally located the grave of my friend.  It was a very emotional time for me. Even after all this time, old feelings came to the surface.  I visited his grave again on his birthday and at Christmas. I was happy to see that someone had put little red bows on the shrubs surrounding his grave stone. It let me know that he was watched over by someone other than me.  Even if Haunted Hudson Valley* ceased to exist tomorrow, it was all worth it. Who knew that creating this site would bring me back to my friend?

*Note Haunted Hudson Valley  is now Hudson Valley Halloween Magazine.

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