.
He was hoping for a watch. A carriage clock would have been nice. But no, he was given a glass bowl.
Forty-nine years, three months and six days he worked for the bank. Almost fifty years and all he got as a retirement gift was a bowl. Too big for his corn flakes, too small for his apples and pears. So he stuck a plant in it.
A few days later he accidentally stepped under a bus.
*
His daughter took some of his bits and pieces to an auction.
‘Lot six, a very rare and sought after Lalique crystal bowl. We’ll start the bidding at £11,900’
.
Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle who also provided this weeks photograph.
Dear Keith,
Sounds like he was run over by speeding Karma. At least he left a nice inheritance. Nicely done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
He was and he did! Thanks so much, Rochelle.
I’ve told my sons not to have a garage sale when I am gone but to take the china cabinet items to a local auctioneer. Some men do not appreciate fine art of any kind, lol. BTW, when I retired I got a suitcase cause they knew I planned to travel.
The perfect retiement present! Cheers Denise.
You tell the story very neatly and clearly, and the reveal is great! I do hope he wasn’t distracted thinking about the bowl when he accidentally stepped under the bus…
He might well have been! Thanks so much for your kind words Penny.
Oh! He didn’t realise how precious the gift was! 😅
…and now he’ll never know! Cheers
So he was loved and valued after all! What a pity he didn’t know how much.
If only he’d known. Cheers Jilly
A neat tale that could well be true.
It could indeed. Thanks YS
I’ll be amazed if I get so much as a bowl, never mind an expensive one. Poor guy…
You and me too Iain! Cheers.
At least his kids will have enough to pay for a good send off!
Nice writing Keith.
Tsk, tsk — he worked for them all those years and didn’t know they’d buy only the good stuff? At least the auctioneer wasn’t as clueless. 🙂
Well done as always.
If only he’d known! At least his daughter discovered how much he was appreciated by his colleagues.
Good one, Keith. He must not have learned much in all those years he worked for them.
Thanks so much.
If he’d known the value of the bowl, do you think he would have been more careful crossing the road? Lovely twist there Keith
A good job he wasn’t carrying it at the time! Cheers Lynn
My pleasure
I love this Keith! A bitter old man, dying not knowing how much he was appreciated or that he was sitting on a small fortune. I feel like I can imagine his whole frustrated life from just a few lines. Brilliant writing.
He’ll never know. Thanks so much for your lovely comment.
Shades of Thomas Hardy I thought!
I hope you don’t mind if this made me laugh. Sometimes we just don’t appreciate things. Fun tale, Keith
I’m delighted that it did Alicia! Thanks so much
My pleasure.
I hope that he didn’t jump under the bus… we seem to have used the bowl for similar purposes.
I wasn’t sure myself! Great minds and all that!
I enjoyed this take on the glass bowl.
…and I enjoyed writing it! Thanks May
Excellent ending.
Much appreciated, thank you.
Oh, my. If he’d known, i wonder if he would have sold it and bought the watch.
A very good watch, and a clock! Thank you Mimi.
Dear Keith, you managed to span an entire story with a great twist in these few words! I loved it. 🙂
Very kind of you, thanks
Oh what a shame he never knew! Nicely done.
Indeed. Thanks so much Clare
That is so sad, he went without knowing
At least his daughter knows. Thanks Akshata
What a pity he never knew how much his work appreciated him. Good story.
It certainly was. Thanks so much Irene
Looks like he was more valued than he realized. Such a pity that he couldn’t live to see this.
He didn’t know his own worth. Thanks Audrey.
I love the straight-forward tone in this. Shame he didn’t get to see what the bowl was worth.
Indeed. Thanks so much.
If only had he got a crystal ball instead 😉 Nice one, loved the understated humour in it.
Now could have been useful! Cheers
late to realize but good the daughter made a fortune of his bits and pieces. amazing story!
Something of him remained even if was only money! Thanks so much.
Karma… really is a bitch. And seriously, after 50 years was he so clueless about gifts given before him?
That kinda guy I guess! Thanks Dale
What a thrilling twist! If only he’d calmed down…he’d have been cruising in a limo!
…iIf he didn’t step under it! Cheers Vivian
🙂
We’re in the money! Um, I mean, poor chap 🙁
Haha! At least, someone is!
too bad he didn’t live long enough to appreciated. at least his daughter did.
Very true. Thanks Plaridel.
Poor guy he got clean bowled at the end. A little bit of dark humour in there. Nicely done.
There’s a little humour in most things if you know where to look! Cheers
Oh dear – an untimely end. He wouldn’t have fared any better if he’d been wearing that gold watch.
Perhaps he thought he was late so he rushed across the road rather than waiting for the bus to pass which he wouldn’t have done if he was wearing a watch because he would have known he wasn’t late and would have waited! No? Ok. Cheers Liz.
This short piece made me wonder about value. The value of fifty years plus service being recognised with a token gesture – after all I assume he was well paid and had a pension – so his frustration was borne out on an expectation of more, yet he did not recognise the value of the gift. I understand his feelings, I worked where over 250 personnel were asked to make a donation towards a gift for the top boss who was leaving, he decided what he wanted and we paid – more fool us.
It’s surely not the cost but the thought that counts. As for the boss deciding what he wants – that’s a no-no! Cheers James.
I can’t help but feel sorry for him – nicely layered write Keith
Thanks so much Dahlia
I feel his disappointment. My employer discontinued my position (or so they said) and escorted me out the front door. They boxed up my personal belongs and let me pick them up later. It was a sad way to end a 31 year career. I didn’t even get a damned bowl. So far, I’ve been fortunate to stay out of the path of buses. Let’s hope my luck continues.
Are you sure the box they used wasn’t an antique chest worth fortunes? At least I got a coffee mug when I left my last job. Actually, I stole it, but that’s our secret! Cheers Russell
Love it! So simple and yet very effective 🙂
So he stuck a plant in it – brilliant! Not such a bad present after all though
Thanks for dropping by Anna
As always, I LOVE your take on the photo prompt!!
Wow, that’s very kind of you, Donna! I can only hope I continue to.
It looks like he didn’t have much retirement time.
I suppose had he been around a bit longer he may have found out the value of the bowl or not.
His dislike may have had other endings. I’m happy the duaghter got to have a little something for it. How much would that be in American dollars? Good write …
Isadora 😎
$15850! Not bad! Shame he never knew. At least he didn’t throw it away.
WOW … not bad is right. It’s always a good idea to check the value of something before you throw it away or donate. Thank you for letting me know the money conversion.
Have a nice week … Isadora 😎
Wonderfully imaginative!
So kind of you Dawn, thank you.
Very creative take on the prompt–from his disappointment at his retirement gift, to your wording of “he stepped under a bus” to the bowl’s unexpected and unknown value at the end. Well done!
I’m pleased you enjoyed it Jan, thank you
Nice read. You captured the initial disappointment from what we can get from a company very well. SOmething looking ordinary can be invaluable.
https://trailbrooklane.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-plant-in-bowl.html
So true! Thanks very much.