Jake was struggling through a crowded bus station, sweating and gasping for breath as he hauled two massive, incredibly heavy suitcases. Seeing him pause for a breather, a passing stranger walked up to him and asked, “Excuse me, mate, do you happen to have the time?”
Jake sighed, dropped the heavy suitcases with a loud thud, and glanced at his wrist. “It’s a quarter to six,” he said.
The stranger’s eyes widened. “Wow, that is a seriously fancy watch!”
Jake brightened up, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten. “Oh, you have no idea. Check this out!”
He pressed a button, and a holographic display revealed a time-zone map for every major city on Earth. He tapped another button, and a crisp voice spoke from the casing: “The time in London is eleven past eleven.”
“I programmed it with authentic regional accents for every location,” Jake bragged. “The display is ultra-high resolution, and the voice synthesis is state-of-the-art.”
The stranger stood there, completely struck dumb with admiration.
“And that’s not all,” Jake continued enthusiastically. He tapped the screen, and a highly detailed GPS map of the city popped up. “This flashing blue dot shows our exact location via satellite positioning.”
“I have to buy this watch from you,” the stranger said instantly, pulling out his wallet.
“Oh, it’s not for sale,” Jake laughed. “I’m the inventor, and I’m still working out a few bugs. But look! It also features a built-in FM radio with a digital tuner, a sonar device that measures distances up to 125 meters, a micro-pager, and enough internal storage to hold voice recordings of 300 standard-sized novels.”
“I am not leaving without this watch,” the stranger insisted, captivated.
“Sir, you don’t understand, it’s a prototype. It’s not ready.”
“I’ll give you $1,000 cash right now.”
“No way, I’ve spent way more than that on parts!”
“I’ll give you $5,000!”
“But it’s just not—”
“Fifteen thousand dollars!” the stranger yelled, frantically pulling out a checkbook.
Jake stopped dead in his tracks. He had only invested about $8,500 into materials. With $15,000, he could easily build a brand-new prototype and still have plenty of cash left over to launch his business.
The stranger scribbled furiously on the check and waved it in the air. “Here it is. Fifteen grand. Cold, hard credit. Take it or leave it right now!”
Jake made a snap decision. “Deal,” he said. He unbuckled the marvelous watch and handed it over. The ecstatic stranger snatched it, strapped it onto his wrist, and turned to walk away with a massive grin on his face.
“Hey, wait a minute! Hold on!” Jake called out after him.
The stranger stopped and turned around warily, clutching his new prize. “What? A deal’s a deal!”
Jake smiled politely and pointed down at the two ginormous, back-breaking suitcases resting on the floor.
“You forgot your batteries.”
