There was a time I wore a big old men's wristwatch. It was modern and way too big, like a bangle on my wrist. I wore it just because it was, I don't know...
It was big, I liked the look...I did not like caring about time...I was back in school and the watch reminded me of time...and of a person...
Then I came across a story by Salinger:
And a character Esme.
I think this is the whole text online:
saving it to read:
http://www.gradesaver.com/nine-stories/study-guide/section4/
ABSTRACT: An American soldier stationed in Devon in April, 1944, meets a precocious 13 year old girl, named Esme, and her brother, Charles, 5. They have a brief, entrancing conversation. Esme asks the American, who tells her he is a writer, to write a story for her about squalor. He promises that he will. Then comes the squalid part. The scene shifts to Bavaria several weeks after V-E Day. The soldier, now referred to as Sergeant X, is suffering from battle fatigue - shaking hands, facial tick, etc. His table is covered with unopened packages, and letters. One of them accidentally comes to the foreground and he opens it - it is a letter from Esme with a few words from Charles.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1950/04/08/1950_04_08_028_TNY_CARDS_000223104#ixzz1rfIocreF
Reader’s Guide – “For Esme – With Love and Squalor” | salingerincontext.org
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