Clack!
The wristwatch smacked against the solid wood floor with a sharp, loud c***k.
"We're so sorry, Mr. Stone," the mover scrambled to pick up the item he'd accidentally knocked over, bowing deeply. "It looks like the watch is broken. We'll cover the full cost of repairs, no questions asked."
Felix took the watch back, holding the cracked face up to the light to examine it closely. "It's not your fault. This thing stopped ticking years ago."
Once the movers had left, he went to work alone, pulling items out of cardboard boxes one by one, making the bed, mopping the floors, and flinging open the windows to let fresh air circulate through the space.
He'd decided to move the very day he learned Georgia was working at the research institute, for one simple reason: the south-facing terra
