StopWatch

Chapter four

Brian was so pumped up about reading that article on Richard Gearson that he decided to visit Wall Street the following day after work.  He didn’t have to work as long as he used too so Wall Street’s stock trading was still open.  He had always been interested in the stock market ever since he was young, but not having money was the only thing that crippled him.  His father died in a factory explosion when Brian was 16, and his mother died of pneumonia just last year.  It had been rough for Brian, but now he had hope of a better life for himself because of this watch.

As he walked on Wall Street his eyes twinkled with amazement as hundreds of suits were crowding the street.  Some were coming from work wearing happy faces, while others not so happy faces.  And some were rushing into the stock exchange floor ready to sell or buy stocks before the market closed at four p.m.  Brian felt out of place with his dirty work clothes on.  He had rushed to get here before the market closed so he could see this place in action.  He kept getting funny looks as he walked passed people and into the stock exchange building. 

There were a bunch of people shouting, some people sweating, and others dancing with joy as they watched stock prices being written on a chalk board.  It was a crazy scene all together. 

Brian squeezed into a nearby office to see how to get started.

“So how does this work?” Brian asked the guy behind his desk.

“You mean the stocks or my new $200 watch?” the fat man responded as he flashed his golden watch very ostentatiously.  Inside Brian felt his heart leap.  He wondered how that man could afford such an expensive watch.

“The stocks,” said Brian nervously.

“Ohhh.  Well that’s simple, you come to a stockbroker, like me, and you give him the money to buy which stock you want. And if it the price of the stock goes up, you sell it and you make a profit.  That’s the simplified version anyway,” the stockbroker said.  Brian was trying to gather this in.  Brian is more of a hands on learner, but he nodded his head like he understood anyway. 

Brian waited when the man finished because he was too busy enjoying the scenery around him.  The large man had a nice leather chair to sit in, a clean mahogany desk, and wore a spiffy gray suit.  He had a few pictures on his desk, apparently his family, and his cars.  Which were a lot. 

“Would you like to buy any stocks, Mr…” said the stockbroker.

“Eckerly.  And you are?” responded Brian.

“Henry Willis, top broker in this building if I might add.”

“Well that’s great!   I’m not quite sure what stocks I am interested in, but I have $50 saved up.”

“Ha! You might as well just buy penny stocks with that little of money.  I’m sorry Mr. Eckerly but that’s not going to do you a whole lot of good around here.  But I guess I can try to find you something…”  Henry Willis started to flip through his catalog of companies that were on the market.  Meanwhile Brain tried to hide a blush of embarrassment.

After some time of scanning through the companies, Mr. Willis gave Brian a suggestion.  So, Brian put all his money into buying shares of this company.

It was a little after three p.m. so Brian decided to stick around for a bit.  Every so often he would see a guy on a movable ladder writing on a chalkboard of new stock prices for companies.  Meanwhile men would watch with paper gripped in their hands as some saw their life savings plummet and others jumped with joy as they doubled their money.

The company Mr. Willis suggested was actually not doing so well.  It slowly started to fall in price.  Soon Brian’s shares were only worth $20 now.  He nearly fainted. 

Brian just about smacked Mr. Willis when he went back into his office.  He was angry at the guy for being so cocky and screwing him over. 

“Settle down Mr. Eckerly.  Now the stock market just closed, which means you can’t sell your stocks.  You win some, you lose some here.  And that’s a lesson you have to learn,” said a smiling Mr. Willis to a silent and dumbfounded Brian.  There was nothing Brian could do or say that would change what just happened.  So, Brian quickly left with a redder face then when he entered, and he cursed a few words at that fat man when he left his office.

Brian left to find a crowd of suits leaving the building, many with top hats and canes.  He looked at all the rich folks in their fancy suits and was angry that he was so bad at this.  Then all of a sudden he his heart leapt with an idea.  Hope began to rise again.  He pulled out his pocketwatch, and fingered the front of it as his gaze lingered on it. 

“I wonder…” he said to himself and then clicked the button.

In an instant he was back outside of the building in the crowd of suits again looking at the stock exchange building.  He went inside and saw the same people smiling, sweating, or getting angry.  Then he looked up at the chalkboard and saw the company he had stock in was back up to where it was.  He was amazed. 

Brian walked back into the office of Mr. Willis.

“Mr. Willis,” said Brian with a smirk on his face.

“I’m sorry do I know you?” said Henry Willis and he looked condescendingly at Brian’s clothes.  Brian forgot that Mr. Willis didn’t know him.

“I’m sorry.  I’m Mr. Eckerly, I’ve heard all about you and your success.” At this Henry sat up in his chair and rose his chin higher with pride and gratitude.

“Oh you have? How pleasant it is to have you Mr. Eckerly.  And what can I do for you today?”

“I’m interested in stock.”  Mr. Willis laughed at this so hard his face turned red, and he got some spit on Brian which was disgusting.  Brian watched him as he laughed and said nothing.  Brian was already made at this man, so he just waited until Mr. Willis said something first.  It took a half a minute of laughing first and another half of awkward silence. 

Finally Mr. Willis spoke up, “Are you serious?”

“Yes, I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.”

Mr. Willis cleared his throat and wiped his laugh tears from his eyes  as he put on a more serious face.  He started to look through his folder of companies again and suggested the same company as last time.

“No way,” said Brian knowing what the future was.  Mr. Willis raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Surely you don’t know more about stocks than me, Mr…”

“Eckerly.”

“Anyway my point is I’m a stockbroker, so you should listen to me.” Mr. Willis shook his finger at Brian as he said this.

“Well I think the stock is going to fall, I got a hunch.”

Mr. Willis examined Brian trying to determine if he was truly serious.  Finally he exhaled and said, “Well in that case you got any other company you have in mind?”

Brian remembered a few of the companies that increased their stock prices.  He especially remembered on which tripled by the time the market was about to close.  So he told Mr. Willis he wanted to use all of his fifty dollars and invest in that company.  After much argument of why Brian shouldn’t invest in that company, finally Mr. Willis conceded. 

Sure enough, close to the end of the market day his stocks tripled.  So then, a smiling Brian  went back into the stockbroker’s room and sold all his shares to a silent and dumbfounded Mr. Willis.