Big Ben : The Story of an Alarm Clock

I used to have an alarm clock that I was very “attached” to. One of the old windup clocks, a Big Ben to be precise. This clock I went through a lot together and survived many a move. After getting married it still had its place on the nightstand. Bent and buggered, it never skipped a beat. Accurate to the minute.
Wanting to leave early one morning I set the alarm for 4am. This was a business trip to the Eastern Transvaal and had its problems, which kept me awake. The tossing and turning scenario. Anyhow, when Old Faithful started ringing away I was still half asleep. In my dream it was the phone ringing, so I picked up the clock, placed it next to my ear and gave an irritable “Hello”. This in itself was bad enough, but when I came to my senses I was sitting upright in the bed with the clock to my ear. My wife, also woken by the alarm, was giving me a look that I really cannot explain. I have no words to do justice to the occasion.
Before she could utter a sound, I gave her the clock and said “Its for you”, turned over, and left her holding the clock.
Another dent in the clock casing.