Extra Luck

“I remember when I found this antique!” Father tossed the square-shaped coin into the air.

“Back in the day, I got it while we were searching the beach for treasure. My detector found it near the old shipwreck. It’s unfortunately not worth anything, but I’m sure it will help you. Toss it into a fountain for extra luck!”

I had forgotten about this coin long ago. There was something related to it being used as a token of gratitude or jewelry, but history was never my favorite subject. My mind preferred numbers.

“I’ll be back soon, old man. I promise to study as much as possible,” I said.

My dad looked at me with a stone-cold stare. Lies were the thing he despised most, but my words were pure. I really wanted to succeed in this endeavor. My family sacrificed a lot for me to be in this position. Just as I thought he was going to give me another lecture about the importance of discipline, he started laughing.

“Oh, come on! I’m just messing with you! College is one of the most exciting times in your life, loosen up a little bit.”

The plane tickets were sitting on the table, right beside the coin. My dad glanced at them and slid them toward me.

“Don’t forget to take care of yourself… I’ll miss you.”

I never liked catching planes or traveling. While a long beard and draped clothes wouldn’t suit me one bit - I preferred sitting at home and doing whatever interested me. How could people run out of things to do? There are so many activities, books, games, whatever else to keep you indoors without ever stepping outside. One of them was mathematics. Exploring numbers, theorems and theories was fascinating, at least to me. My teachers advised me to continue pursuing maths and to be honest, this branch of science was perfect for someone who wanted to be left alone. University was the next logical step.

My father never understood what I was saying when we talked about math. The last time was when we discussed Pythagoras’s Theorem. He was the one who first taught it to me and explained that sometimes, in manual work, you could use it to estimate lengths. After the 11th grade, I could tell he was getting lost in the material, but he always listened with intent and encouraged me to learn. I’ll miss him too, but I’ll be back for the holidays.

Just before landing, I could see the fog and rain engulfing the city. It looked rather depressing, even for me. Let’s hope the dorm isn’t horrendous, at least I could enjoy the bad weather in a nice room.

“I suppose you have a personal ID card?” said the lady behind the counter. She was your typical university employee. The institution didn’t care who was responsible for the accommodation, as long as they kept their mouths shut and worked for the lowest possible amount of money. With this dazzling combination, the fine specimen in front of me had a huge pair of glasses, and her annoyance was even bigger than her lenses. Luck was not on my side when I woke her up.

I didn’t expect much from a university in Eastern Europe, but “uniforms” were a nonexistent concept for these people. She sat behind the desk as the living embodiment of a gym ghost. Her clothes were faded, stretched, and long retired from any physical activity besides sleeping on the job.

“Yes, ma’am. Just a moment. It’s here somewhere. I have the required documents for the dorm assignment. I read on the university website that students could choose a dorm room, based on the availabili…”

“We have a smartass here, eh? Who are you to tell me what to do, you little dipshit?” she screeched like a fine knife on porcelain. As my documents were furiously shuffled through, the miserable old bat purposefully grabbed them by the edges and flung them aside with the anger of a thousand snappy receptionists. I suppose she was trying to tear them somehow and send me home, her nap was more important, after all.

Looking through everything, she put my papers aside, separate from the huge pile of other student documents.

“Did you, by any chance, forget to pay the accommodation fee?” she asked, looking at me as if she knew I had no idea about this.

“What fee are we talking about?” I asked.

“Well… Each student has to pay a fee for all the hard work I do here. Do you think this job is easy? If even one thought like that crosses your mind, I’ll gladly let you take my place!”

“No, ma’am!” I answered as fast as possible. “Can I pay this by card somewhere?”

“Of course not! Payments are only accepted in cash. After that, you’ll need a confirmation note from the Student Office.”

This was the demon of bureaucracy Dad always lamented about. I can’t image what it’s like when you actually start working. This witch is only the beginning… My flight had to keep circling because of the weather, and public transport had a different schedule, since it was late.

“It’s almost midnight?! The Student Office isn’t open now! Where can I pay this goddamned fee?” I raised my voice, staring straight into the old lady. She jumped a little bit but then put on the biggest smile I’ve seen in ages.

“How should I know? You can’t receive accommodation before paying. You can sleep on the couch in the entrance hall…” She slammed the small glass window shut like it was a garage door. Through the wall, I could hear her settling down on what sounded like a wooden bed.

“All the hard work she does… reviewing documents in old gym clothes while a TV from the previous century is blasting the latest soap opera,” I muttered to myself before going outside to find a place to sleep.

This area was known as “Student Town.” Unfortunately for me, it had turned into a district filled to the brim with nightclubs and casinos. Day-and-night kebab shops and lines outside 24-hour liquor shops filled with shady people were a common sight. I suppose my disgust was visible, because one of them almost came after me.

“What are you looking at, rabbit?!” he screamed, obviously out of his mind. A group of people gathered around to stop him from lunging at me.

“Man, cut with the bullshit. If the cops show up and catch you right now, we are all dead.” One of his bigger friends grabbed him by the waist.

I continued trudging through this place, determined not to sleep here. Traveling at night and on foot had its own charm. About two hours later, as I approached the center of the town, there was a big fountain nearby. Holding the squared-shaped coin, I remembered what Father had told me.

“Let this little gift grant me the luck I need,” I said to myself, tossing it into the air.

Spirits, gods, and mystical powers are among the things in my field of interest, but the inability to quantify such things has made me believe in them less. Is luck just a random variable with no control? I’m inclined to believe we have control over our fate, with luck playing only a small part.

Right next to the fountain was a long street with tram lines running along it. I decided to follow them, since the street was well lit. In my mind, I could take several left turns and still arrive at the same place. This street, however, was longer than expected. At its end was yet another 24-hour liquor shop. Walking around with all my belongings stuffed into a backpack made me hungry. One snack from the store later, I was back on track. Turning left for the first time, a huge church appeared in the distance. Its roof glowed under the light of the full moon. After about half an hour of walking, I got near the place. Some people were praying inside the church, while a beggar on the outside approached me.

“God bless you, son! Do you have any money to spare?” he said, keeping his distance.

In my back pocket the change from the liquor shop was still jingling.

“Yes, here you go,” I said.

“Thank you a million times! What brings you here?”

“I just enrolled into university to study mathematics, but the first day here could have been better. My accommodation was denied because I didn’t pay a fee nobody told me about.”

The beggar started yelling and gesturing toward the sky.

“I told you! This country has gone to ruin! Look at this young man! He came to this town to develop his skills, advance his education! Why does nobody do their work properly?!”

There were no people around us, but someone from the church appeared on the balcony, drawn by the noise. I was stunned. This same beggar, at first sight tame as a lamb, was now yelling with veins bulging on his neck and eyes red from screaming. After another tirade aimed at the sky, he finally calmed down.

“Why did you yell like that? Who were you talking to?” I asked.

The beggar looked at me with amusement.

“God, of course! He frequently listens to me, don’t worry. I poured all my power into this. From now on, only good should happen to you. After all, you helped me first, and I’m doing my best to return the favor.”

“What can I say?! Thank you, I didn’t expect such things!” I said to the beggar. My mind was starting to tire from all the adventuring, and I still had another street to explore.

“I’ll get going, since it’s late and I want to find a place to sleep. Thank you once again.”

“Don’t worry, my boy. Everything will be alright in the end! I suggest you not linger any longer in these streets. Safe travels!”

With my second left turn, I couldn’t stop thinking about that man. Why would he do such a thing for someone completely unknown? As far as I know, being mad at God and yelling at Him doesn’t change anything. He does what He pleases in the end. I wonder what’s His plan for me. It’s strange how people, myself included, start to think such things when their surroundings drastically change. Is this because we feel alone? Fundamentally, we are probably not alone. The universe is incomprehensibly large, and our ability to observe it is limited. With 200 billion galaxies, each containing hundreds of billions of stars, it seems almost impossible that there isn’t some kind of living organism out there. Are we too early for other life to form? Is the distance too vast, or are we simply not looking at the right place?

As I walked down the dimly lit street, I noticed a pharmacy to my left. Its old LED signs shone bright on a tree opposite to it. When I passed them, I heard a sharp whistle in the air, and footsteps began echoing behind me. Blood rushed through every corner of my body, as I increased my pace and the people behind were trying to catch up. I could feel the adrenaline, my backpack was no longer heavy. Fear crept in, and I started running. In the distance, I could see the same street with the fountain. The stalkers were running too, and a man yelled something in another language.

I was scared to death. This day couldn’t possibly get any worse. My muscles ached from exhaustion and lack of sleep. There was no way I was going to tell Dad about this.

Finally, as I took my last left turn, I saw construction workers and policemen near the fountain.

“Hey! Someone’s chasing me!” I shouted to the officers with my last breath.

My pursuers arrived several seconds later. They scattered like cockroaches upon seeing the police.

“Are you okay?” the policeman asked, speaking into his radio after checking on me. My mind and body were too tired to listen.

“Yeah, I think so. ” I sat on the curb near their car. The blue flashing lights reminded me of the ones near the pharmacy. Several deep breaths later, I could see the construction crew was working on the same fountain where I had tossed the coin. One of the workers sat on the curb right next to me. He was soaking wet, and his vest lit up under the police lights.

“Can you believe it?! How could the water pump jam from one coin?!”

I saw the bewildered look on his face and moved closer.

“What do you mean? The fountain stopped working?” I asked, and saw how he slid his hand into his pocket.

“Do you see this coin? It’s obviously a square, and the fountain pump jammed because of it. Who in their right mind makes a square-shaped coin? It even has a square in the middle!” The construction worker looked at me and froze for a moment.

“What happened, boy? Did a spook pop up?”

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Was I seeing the same coin my father had given me?

“Can I see this thing? It looks interesting,” I muttered.

“Take it off me! After all the problems it caused, I don’t want to see it ever again.”

Right there on that curb, I sat, clenching the coin in my fist as the sun rose.

After my detour to the Student Office, I headed back to the dorms.

“Here’s the note. I paid the fee and have confirmation. Now it’s your turn.”

The lady looked at me over the rim of her glasses and adjusted them.

“Good morning! You’ve probably spoken with my colleague from yesterday’s shift.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Yes, I didn’t talk with you yesterday. Your colleague is quite the character,” I said as she flipped through all my papers.

“Well… everything seems in order.” She glanced at the map of the building. “Lucky you! The newly renovated room on the last floor is yours. Enjoy!”

“Thank you so much. I really needed some good news today. I’ll buy you a coffee next time we meet.”

Lying on my bed, I remember fiddling with that little coin, exhausted but strangely hopeful. Luck may play only a small part in our fate, but even a tiny thing can change the course of a day - or a life.