Soulmate Watch

Xavier Cruise

I was born with the time (6570d 13h 32m 56s) meaning that at 1:32pm of on my 18th birthday I am destined to find my one true love. Of course that day is today. It's been on my wrist my entire life, but the only people how have actually seemed to care are my parents, and the rest of my family, who by the way are all in the business of making sure that peoples "times" are pitch perfect. No seriously, My entire family, from my great aunt Clara to my four year old cousin, work for Match Makers Inc. which is owned by my mother and father. MMI is basically a large wedding planning corporation, we get hired to set up a story book scenario for when people's clocks run out. The way my family see's it every one knows when they're going to meet their soul mate. They spend their entire lives thinking about it, what it's going to be like, and who they're going to be paired up with. Now we can't control the who, but we can control the how. You tell us how you've been imagining it all these years, and we'll make it a reality. My family pores their hearts and souls into making everything perfect especially when it comes to other family members. From the moment someone is born into the family everyone gathers around and begins planning what their special day is going to be like. They even train the child so that they know exactly what they're supposed to do.

No of course every family has a head, someone who makes all of the decisions. Obviously being the owner of MMI makes my father that head, meaning that I (an only child) get even more attention than the rest of the children. It was nice, for a while. Every year I would get a boat load of presents for my birth day christmas and strangely enough labor day. If I was lonely my parents would get someone to entertain me. Well eventually after a childhood anyone would dream for I started to get bored of all the attention. I stopped attending a few family functions, I would go off on my own every once in a while to do something, ANYTHING that would keep me from getting bored. I did things such as martial arts, equestrian riding, and I even did some writing, but then things got serious once my clock ran down to(0365d, 00h, 00m, and 00s). It was that point that I was forced to be the center of the family. Everyone pouring over me once again, making sure that my day was just as my parents had planned it.

Yeah... well it was decided that, because my mom was an actor before she married into the family, I was going to be up on the stage performing romantic play all by myself. Yes, I will be doing a play all alone, that way I am still at the center of attention, and no one else will be able to get between me and whoever it is that I'm destined to be with. The lights are pre set, the costumes were already laid out and even the curtains automated so that when they'll open and close by themselves. My family spent an entire month preparing for this. Dress rehearsal after dress rehearsal. They put up posters all over the city, and even bought their way onto a radio talk show to advertise for the play. My parents wanted to make sure EVERYONE would be in the audience, they even managed to coerce the mayor into showing up. It was an original play written by one of the family members, but there isn't much plot, the entire play is just me spouting out a combination of one liners and romantic speeches saving the best for when my clock hits zero.

Lets see that will be in about 5 minutes and 38 seconds? I should probably still be up on the stage ready to perform, but I couldn't give a damn about this soul mate business it's all just so boring. I'm not interested in meeting some boring fan of my parents pathetic excuse for a play. It just doesn't apply to me... I don't really care who I'm with, I just wanted to enjoy myself by myself so while performing on stage I came up with a brilliant prank to pull. The last scene is supposed to be opening up right now. Everyone will be at the edge of their seats after listing to an hour of romantic bull shit just waiting to see what the lucky girl looks like. Waiting to see who the woman I'll be spending the rest of my life with. The automated curtains pull back and the audience begins cheering and applauding. But the crowd dies down once they stair down at the empty stage. While the curtains were closed before the last scene started I quickly left from behind the stage, and ran out the back door into the ally way. I thought about going back in there to see everyone's reaction, but if they found me before my time was up they might put me back up there again which would kill the prank. I could hear the crowd cheering and started laughing once the cheering died down. I couldn't contain myself when I heard the frantic shuffling that came from inside. I continued laughing for about five minutes, my prank was a complete success no one knew where I was, and no one expected it either. My parents try and call my phone to reach me, but I simply let it buzz and buzz, trying to to explode from laughter.

My laughing came to an  stop when I hear some commotion out on the street. I run out to see what's happening, and then I see her, I look up at a young girl standing on the roof of the building across the street poised to jump. Everyone is screaming for her not to jump. at first I was thinking along with them, but I soon lost interest. I look back at my wrist, and everything is at zero. Great... does that mean that mrs suicidal is my soul mate? I look back up and as I do she thrusts herself from the edge of the building. As she falls she manages to hit a flag pole, and crash threw one of the shop awnings. The crowd that gathered on the street quickly rushes to her aid. I try and make my way through, I want to check her wrist to see is she is at zero as well.

She still has 12 hours and 27 minutes left on her wrist... Well I guess she isn't the one after all, but then who is? I look around, and no one seems to be clicking, or standing out. Maybe I can be alone... At first this idea mad me kinda happy, but the I felt horribly depressed. I was only exaggerating when I said I wanted to enjoy myself with myself.

I'm shocked back to reality when I here the frantic crying of someone behind me asking is the woman was okay. I reach just be her watch, and check for a pulse. After finding out that she still has one, I turn to one of the by standers staring at the injured woman in shock.

"Don't just stand there call the police," I tell him.

After that I straighten her body, checking for any major injuries, but luckily I don't find any other than broken ribs, large bruises and broken extremities. After that I wait for the paramedics to arrive. Once they do I hitch a ride with them to the hospital, I don't know why, but I'm still slightly interested in this woman. I watch as her watch slowly ticks toward zero. She's now down to 10 hours and 15 minutes. On the way to the hospital I check my phone to see how many messages were left... 29... I have 18 missed calls, and 11 messages from my family trying to figure out where I am.

I call my mother, and tell her what happened, and after I get an ear full for missing my big finally, I apologize, and hang up.

We arrive at the Hospital, and she is whisked to the ER, and I'm left in the waiting room. They tell me I can go see her now, but she is still unconscious. I check her wrist once again and we're now down to 3 hours and 16 minutes.

I just wasted 9 hours and 11 minutes try to help some random suicidal woman that I've never meet before. It's 10:00 at night, and I'm tiered, but I could've gone home anytime I wanted, I wasn't required to stay and wait for her to get out of surgery. What was keeping me there? Why was I so interested in this random woman? Maybe she was the one for me, but then why is her clock still going?

I decided to wait and see who her soul mate was? I'm putting 40 dollars on the nurse, or doctor who's checking on her when she wakes up.

So I sit down in the chair, pick up a magazine and I wait. The minutes turn into hours, after what seems to be a millennium she wakes up moaning about her head, and where she was. I look around, and no one else is in the room, I keep expecting someone to bust down the door screaming about how he's been searching all over for her, but that doesn't happen.

I stand up and check her wrist once again. We're now down to four seconds.

She moans and looks over to me

"Who the hell are you?" she asks.

I look back down and read her wrist for the last time. (0000d 00h 00m 00s) Then I move her arm so that she can read her watch.

"It looks like I'm the guy who got stuck with you," I answer.

At least she wasn't some boring fan who watched my parents pathetic idea of a romantic one man play.