Learning to tell Time

So hi. Author here. Been a while. You know the usual; Dealing with life and family and depression and stuff like that but i never stopped writing. Been working on a few novels and fanfics which I'll be posting soon. Thank you to all those who have read my work to this point and sorry for being away for so long without saying anything. Truly sorry.

My father was the one who taught me how to read the time. I don't mean the usual digital reading "The time is 03:04" kind of reading, No. I mean "what does the time on the wall clock with the hands say?" type of reading. Now for some reason, dad was home; Maybe off duty or something, i don't know. Back then his time table was weird. He went to work on weekends and I never knew when he had days off. I doubt even he knew when he had days off.

Anyways, he was lying down in the living room when he called me over. "Go see what time it is and tell me." His phone was in his room, and back then the only place that had a wall clock in the entire house was my parent's room. Note, this was the same seven or eight year old me with who got a needle stuck in his finger.

I'm confident i could tell the time. I'm old, I'm a grown young man who could read the time...when the hands were on the right numbers. So i got to their room and unfortunately the hands were not on the right numbers.

Like if the long arm was on the 12 and the little arm was on 3, then its 3 o'clock. Or when the long arm was on 6 and the short arm was on 7, then it was 7:30. This time however, the long arm was in between the 7 and 8, and the short am was almost on the 2, but not yet close to it either. To me, that was like some quantum biomechanics test (if there even is something like that) that i was staring at.

I was trying to decipher the indiana jones type writings on the wall but my old man kept yelling am me to just yell him the time. Chill old man. Just chill. After staring at the thing for so long, i decided to call in the experts. I memorised the placements of the hands and finally decided to go tell my dad.

I got there and told him exactly what i saw, "The little hand is close to the 2 but not yet there, and the long hand was now slightly closer to the 8." After a satisfactory performance, patting myself on the back for such a great brain, being able to memorize the positions like a pro, i smiled to myself and turned, hoping to go play or something. That was until i heard the chilling question from behind me, "So what time is it?"

No. No. Don't do this to me. It was not like in some deep dark part of me, i did not know he would ask that question; That was why i decided to not stick around him. I needed to leave just as quickly but it needed to be smooth so he did not suspect anything. But alas.

I turned to him and put on my goofy smile without saying anything. Then the question came once more "So. What. Time. Is. It?" Questioning me slowly this time. I begun to calculate in my mind. Trying hard to find a solution to this problem, but i needed to think fast or something else would be introduced into the equation; A belt.

No! It was a weekend, i was not ready for a home beatdown. Plus, my brain was on weekend mode. The first stage appeared; The glare. Oh no! That meant he was not happy; Whether it was me taking so long in answering or me not knowing what the time was, i did not know, but he was not happy. I couldn't introduce "the cry" when he had already initiated "the glare"; Sneaky old man. He one up me.

Just as i felt all hope was lost, enter, mom. Hurray. My savior, my light, my armor to block the belt. She came just when i needed fire, to bring me coal and firewood.

She asked what was going on and dad told her. In my mind i was already decided what to go play after i left. That's when i heard, "So what time is it?"

What? What was happening, mom? Why are you now the one asking me? What kind of anomaly and variable just entered the equation to mess up the final answer? As i stood there sweating colors i did not know was possible, my mom said, "He doesn't know how to read the time, this would be a nice bonding time for you two, teach him."

So i was asked to go bring the clock and me and my dad lay down on the mat, one ready to teach, and the other ready to learn. I was still not out of the woods yet; I may have dodged the belt, but i was about to get something else.

Thing is, my dad is a very impatient teacher. It was only after i grew up did i understand how much i actually took after him in that department. Like my dad could backhand you if you still did not get it after he told you twice. And as a kid i knew that very well because most of the time he was teaching me something, my brain was was on weekend mode.

Now I'm ready to learn, scared, but ready. Unfortunately for me, my already weekend brain had been reduced even further of its capacity due to the fear so i had to be extra careful. He began to patiently teach me, they were in 5's. The most important was for me to focus on the long arm and all i needed to do was count from 12, and as 0.

I know.

If it sounds somewhat confusing, then imagine me as a kid.

What i feared more than a belt or cane, was my old man's knocks. He knocked me one time i actually peed myself. His knocks are fast, swift, motionless, bladeless, photon beams and laser quick. They came in gradients. Truly a terrifying weapon. If he was in a cultivation realm he would be the shadowless hands. He left dents you never knew how.

Well, after a few growls and knocks from him, and begging from me and a wet face from crying the entire time, i was finally able to get the gist of it and tell him the accurate time. He was actually patient enough to wait for me to count the 5's before telling him the time. With enough practice i would get better, he said. Now got bring me my casio watch so i can reset the clock.

I knew it was a trap and did not want to go. Why? Because the cassio watch was also a complicated bastard that read time like 14:12 and 19:08. Where the fck is the 14 or 19 on the wall clock? I did not know. No. I was not going through another round of "which part of your head has not been dented yet?" with my old man.

So i just sat there and cried.