LUCK? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
I opened the email with glee! It was one of those ‘tell your fortune’ kind of emails and one of them had luckily found its way into my inbox. I was the kind of person who was far from contemporary and still believed in age-old fortune bearing things like being perpetually afraid of the evil eye or of opening an umbrella indoors.
As I scrolled in excitement down the lengthy message I came across a line that warned, that if you deleted this particular email, you would have bad luck for the rest of the following day, but if you kept it good luck would always be upon you. I nodded my head seriously and carefully exited my inbox without touching a thing extra.
As I drowsily walked up the stairs to bed, I debated whether or not I should phone my mother and tell her about this wonderful email and then hastily decided against it as my mother was far too sensible and down-to-earth to believe that kind of ‘hocus pocus’ as she put it. But as I tucked myself comfortably into bed that night, I had an uneasy feeling about things.
When I woke up the next morning, I was shocked to find that I had overslept and would definitely be late for work. As I rushed down the stairs, two at a time, to eat a quick breakfast, I tripped over my bag and scraped my palm on the chair while attempting to break my fall.
Trying hastily to get out of the house, I scrambled around on the floor to look for my keys that I had just dropped. Finally, after a few minutes and creating a colossal mess, I found them and did a small victory dance that upset the chair once again. But time was a-wasting so I did what any desperately late chap would do; I left the house as it was and rushed outside to the garage and got into my car.
With a quick jerk of the keys, I was ready to start my commute to work ... but how was I supposed to do that without gas? Sighing in frustration, I did the next best thing I could think of. I hurried onto the main road and thumbed for a taxi, while keeping a close eye on my watch.
Luckily, I was able to get one quickly enough but reached into my pocket to realise that I had forgotten my wallet at home. But fortunately for me, or so I thought, I had my credit card in my coat pocket. I swiped it roughly through the card reader several times, but it wasn’t accepting my card. I growled at it fiercely and scurried to the ATM to top it up, only to see that it was out of service.
I peered at the luminous hands of my watch, there was absolutely no way I was getting to work on time. But eventually, by good great fortune, I got a ride from a chill beach boy-looking guy driving a truck complete with a surfboard.
At last, I was finally on my way to work. I dismissed the tumultuous morning as an aberration as I gazed out of the window, relief written all over my face.
Mr Beach Boy glanced at my office attire and briefcase and asked me, ‘By the way, why are you in such a hurry to get to work?’ I replied, rather nobly, ‘ Obviously it is one’s duty to be on time wherever he is due.’ He laughed and said, smiling cheekily, “Of course ... if you plan to work on a Saturday!’ My jaw dropped ten feet as my eyes bulged out of my head, suddenly realising what day it was.
On the way home, I decided to call my mother. After I related the train of events I admitted to her sheepishly , “ You were right Mum! After the day I’ve had, I’m pretty sure there’s no such thing as luck!”
Written by: Rheanna M. Kantipudi
Grade 8, Age 13
