The Knife
He sits at his desk. The office is silent. He picks the knife up and
holds it between the forefingers of each hand…the point at one
end…the hilt at the other. Is he testing it for sharpness? He looks
at the instrument. His lips tighten. He grabs it at the hilt…then
decisively prepares himself. His muscles tense…in one motion he
thrusts the blade in…and he begins slicing…till the envelope
opens to reveal its contents.
Yes yes my friends. It is a paper cutting knife. What else could it
have possibly been? The man is opening his morning mail. It is another
day in a series of routine days. However…there is one thing…there
is this one joyous thing that breaks the monotony of his every-day
mundane chores. It is the Knife…a thing of beauty…designed by
Cartier somewhere around 1928. The man does not know how it arrived at
his desk. He does not remember. Perhaps it was a gift. It is an
expensive item. It’s worth is around $22,000.00.
He looks at it again before starting his chores. It is the one thing
that pleasures him at the beginning of this day which promises to be
fraught with tensions…much like all the other days of his life. This
paper cutting knife…with its blade of carved agate…it is a thing
of sheer beauty. This paper cutting knife…with a clock surmounted in
the hilt…it is the work of a talented mind. He examines the delicacy
of the handiwork. The ox-blood and blue enamel that frame this
jeweled tool stun the eye. It is set with cabochon emeralds. The
winder is composed of a carved emerald bead capped by a cabochon
sapphire on a carved coral base.
Can any of you imagine this tool? The man himself wonders at the
knife. He sees it as he’s never seen it before. He looks for the
inscription on the Roman numeral dial. It says: “Cartier. France.” He
turns it over. The number on the reverse side is indistinct. He can
not make it out. It does not matter. He is loathe to put it down. He
is not happy. His wife told him only this morning she was leaving him.
he children no longer seem to have any use for him…for reasons he
does not understand. He is wealthy …but it means nothing. His life
is in shambles. He wonders if the knife can pierce skin. If he plunged
it into his heart…could the blade withstand the pressure…or would
it snap in two…leaving nothing more than a scratch on his skin. He
opens the button of his shirt…presses the blade’s point lightly
against his chest.
His intercom buzzes. It is his secretary. She’s a pretty thing. Would
he like some coffee? He snaps at her…tells her to leave him alone.
He closes his shirt…calls her back…apologizes…and
yes…black…with four sugars…thank you. He places the knife back
on his desk. All his mail has been opened. He has no more use for it
today. However…there will be new mail tomorrow. And tomorrow he will
be able to use the knife again…and enjoy it’s beauty. He smiles.
Life is not so bad…as long as he has this jeweled…paper cutting
implement. He smiles…buzzes his secretary. Let’s get to work, he
says. The office livens up under his energy. He looks at the knife
again…and smiles.
For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may I
direct you to my home page at www.tyler-adam.com where you will
scroll down the table menu till you get to the box that says
Tidbits…and inside the box where it says Tidbit Graphics…click on
the link that says: Knife…where you will see the graphic of our
bejeweled utensil.
And there ya have it. That’s it for this week folks. Catch you all next
week. Benjamin Mark
TYLER-ADAM CORP.–Jewelry Manufacturers
Tel: 1-800-20-TYLER
E-Mail to: webmaster@tyler-adam.com