I have hated Lucky for as long as I can remember. She's an annoying acquaintance with whom I can’t be friends but who still plays a large role in my life.
Mostly, I see her during major family events but today as I walked towards my office, I saw her walking on the street opposite to me. She looked at me and smiled. I can never be sure of her smile. That is probably one of the reasons why I don't like her. It seems like a perfectly straight and normal smile, but it quivers as if hiding evil laughter behind the politeness.
All thoughts of Lucky are driven from my mind when I reach office. There was an air of mourning hanging around what had already been a very depressing place.
Rather than go to my desk, I sit next to my team as we wait outside a door.
"More layoffs?" I ask.
"Damn those robots."
"Why are they doing it old school? They could have sent mails."
"Remember Bob."
"Ah Bob."
Bob was something of a legend. He had been fired two weeks shy of his retirement. He had nothing lose so he had gone to his desk quietly after being told to leave and had destroyed every file our department had created.
With lack of data, ironically enough, the management had no option but to bring back people. The same people they were going to fire today.
When it was my turn, I went in.
"Estelle Jones, we are sorry to inform you that your services are no longer needed..."
I wanted to go out and find Lucky and ask her why she had showed up today. Usually, she brought people happiness but today she brought me despair.
3 years later
It was strange taking the same route to work but in a company car rather than the subway. As I got out in front of my old office building, I saw Lucky.
I walked towards her confidently.
"Am I going to be fired on my first day? Why did you come back today Lucky?"
"I am hurt that you think something bad will happen today. What happened three years ago was the luckiest thing to happen to you. It forced you to get your management degree.
Congrats, and I don’t like being called Lucky. Address me as Lady Luck."