Bad Luck Day?

Considering how America commercializes every thing possible from Sports to Holidays, its not surprising that Friday the 13th is a day that is not spared as well. For you Horror Movie Enthusiasts, its a bonus day for you to catch your horror movies, new or old, at home or at the movies. Yup, Its the day known popularly as “Bad Luck Day” in most parts of the western world for reasons best known to whoever made that decision. Apparently, 13 was considered an unlucky number and Friday was considered an unlucky day which is very weird because it seems like The Creator upstairs gets more appreciation on this day than any other day of the week bar Sunday. It might just be superstition but I wonder to myself if it was coincidence that I had a horrible run of events starting early on Friday the 13th of December 2013. Bear with my long story because as usual, there is a very simple turning point which made everything better and ended up causing me to share this anyway, considering how I have not posted anything in a while. It also doubles up as my first short story.. Even better, Its not fiction!!!

I woke up from a bad dream first of all on Friday morning. I wont detail that, but it was the kind of dream that got me thinking I need to do better praying and going to church. I will however let you know it involved me shoving my laptop of the bed. It got scarred a bit but it survived. As cold as the weather was, I was burning hot when I woke up from the dream. I already had a combination of ailments bugging my throat and my nose from earlier in the week, so as early as 6:30 am, I couldn’t handle it anymore so I stepped out of the house to get me some medical defense and then head back home. That was the plan. I did not get back home till about 10:00 am. And this is why…

I needed an over the counter drug that was sold behind the counter because of some chemical it had in it so I actually had to see the Pharmacist. Problem was, i couldn’t find a pharmacy that was open and me being the don’t give up person I am, I kept searching for pharmacies that were open. I couldn’t find any after about 90 minutes of driving, dealing with traffic, parking, walking out of the car, asking when pharmacies opened and stuff. I finally ended up at the same pharmacy where I started off. I had thought to myself that since the answer I got from most of the other stores I went to was that the pharmacies open at 8, I might as well go back to Kroger and get my medicine and be on my way… Kroger Pharmacy didn’t open till 9. I did not find out on my first visit what time they opened.

Its past 8 and I’m disappointed at this point, so I decide to go home. I’m pulling out of the lot when this random guy yells at me. I didn’t pay him any mind as I was already pissed but he kept yelling and when I eventually decide to listen, he was just trying to tell me I had a flat tire.. Great News! I didn’t get my drugs and I now had a flat tire to fix in the beautiful 20 degree morning weather. At this point, I just sat in my car, a very frustrated human that didn’t want to change a tire and that is when it occurred to me that it was Friday the 13th and I immediately begin laughing. I’ve heard stories from even close friends having bad luck day dilemmas but I never for once thought I would be a victim and it was just funny to me. My head is also hurting at this point and I decide to do a last minute sweep of my car hoping to find a bottle of painkillers that I might have conveniently left in my car. This is where my luck changed and yes, it was for the better.

Of course I did not find any painkillers miraculously wedged under the seats in the car but I did find my gloves which funny enough I had conveniently kept in the “glove box”. They were the same gloves I had been looking for in the past 48 hrs. Figuring, I had an edge over the weather now, I decided to change my tire. Its 8:45 am, I’m still pissed off, my car is raised and I’m taking bolts of the tire and this lady probably going into the store walks up to me and sympathizes with my situation, citing that its horrible that i had to change my tire in such weather. I in turn thank her for her kind words and say to her, “I’m lucky I have gloves”

That phrase in addition to what the lady said next probably changed my whole day. She smiled and said “well. I hope the rest of your day goes way better” and she was on her way. I’m not even going to lie! It warmed my heart and at this point, I’m now feeling ungrateful that I would even think I was unlucky in the first place when there are some out there who would kill to be in my position, however bizarre that may sound. I mustered up whatever energy I had left and finished replacing my tire and got in the car to head home. I then remembered that it was now after 9 and I could get my medicine. I was already driving out before I realized it, so I had to park somewhere else as my spot had been taken. I had to show my ID for the medicine and I kid you not! I did not have my wallet on me, I’m about to freak out again but I remember how lucky I am and decide to go check the car. It was in the car. It had fallen out of my pocket somehow while I was searching for my painkillers.

I pay for my drugs and I head to my car with a smile on my face as I now had my medicine! I cant find my keys!! This, by now is round 4 or 5 of fretting but once again, I calm down and luckily, (If I may use that word) my keys were sitting on the inside of the car on the driver’s seat in a locked car. In Kevin Hart’s words, “I can not make this up!!!” I had dropped them on the seat while looking for my wallet and I never picked them up when I locked the car and went back in the store. No biggie tho. After acquiring a few tools from some friendly Kroger employees, I was able to prop my door open with no damage and be on my way home. Irony of it all, I just dropped the medicine on the counter and went straight back to sleep when I finally got to the house.

It was really an interesting morning and I’m glad I was able to learn and be reminded from my experience that myself and most of us who will end up reading this are luckier than we can imagine and no made up day can ever change that. Also, the things you do or say to someone can have any kind of impact on the person. No matter how resistant a person is, the words we utter can change the kind of day a person is having. So as creepy as it may sound, a smile every now and then would not hurt and a simple phrase such as “Have a nice day” or like this nice lady said to me, “I hope the rest of your day goes way better”, can alter the course of someone’s day for the better.

This is a BigTyme Short Story…