I remembered Dad fastening the strap around my wrist in the storefront doorway.

“You’re going to make mistakes,” he had told me.

“Don’t be afraid of that.

Just make sure they’re your mistakes, and make them honestly.”

For years I had been punished for decisions that were not mine.

Holding the watch reminded me that the difference mattered.

I took it to a repair shop.

The watchmaker replaced a worn component and cleaned the mechanism, explaining that the scratches on the case could remain if I preferred.