No one told me -   

       But I’ll tell you: It’ll be July before you see another Friday the 13th.

      The sun came up like always. The fog rolled in like sometimes. I bounced out of bed like never. I dragged myself to the shower and after that, things got worse.

No one had told me it was Friday the 13th. I spent twenty minutes trying on clothes because I wanted to look extra-special professional – meeting with the banker and all – but nothing looked right. I finally settled for a sort-of-okay combo and since I’d already slept in late, I practically ran out to the car.

  And remembered the gas tank was empty. I backed down the driveway, lurched around the corner and made it to the stop light in record time. The green light flashed on, but not the left turn arrow. While I was waiting, I got my VISA card out and set it on my lap so I’d be ready when I got to the gas station.

As I tossed my wallet back onto the passenger seat, I felt a lightness where the VISA was s’posed to be. I did a quick lap check. Empty.

At the gas station, I checked the floor at my feet and looked between the seats. No VISA in sight. At least not from where I was sitting. I’d have to get out and look.

Far as I know, there’s no graceful way to step out of a low-slung car in a suit and heels and bend over to where you can see what’s under the driver’s seat or between the two front seats. Fortunately, I had a debit card I could use so I left the VISA wherever it was.

Gas splashed all over as I took the hose from the pump. No one had told me it was Friday the 13th. I jammed the leaky nozzle back into the pump, but I needed gas, so I stood as far away as I could and reached for the hose. I stuck it in my gas tank faster than gas prices go up.

When the tank was full, I rinsed the gas off of me and drove to the café where I like to stop for breakfast with friends before work. Breakfast was going to have to be super fast this morning.

At the café parking lot, I noticed there wasn’t a single human in sight, so from outside the car, I scootched down and looked between the seats and on the floor under the seats. No VISA. I went to the other side and scootched down again - ever so gracefully of course.

Found it! Yay!!! I tucked it in my wallet, assumed my “cool, confident and always-in-command” expression and walked toward the café. In a minute I’d be enjoying a mellow cup of coffee with friends and all would be okay with the world.

No one had told me it was Friday the 13th. As I walked toward the café, I reached in my purse for my cell phone. Couldn’t find it. Everything falls to the bottom in that purse and it’s such a big one it takes tons of fumbling around to find anything in it. My “cool, confident and always-in-command expression” was losing momentum by the minute.

Did I leave the phone at home? Did I…? Oh, shoot. I left it in the car. I hurried back and whew! The phone was there.

My friends were wiping the breakfast crumbs off their faces when I walked in with a bright smile on my face - which evaporated instantly as I told them about all my troubles. I said I figured it couldn’t get much worse. That’s when they told me.

“It’s Friday the 13th. What’d you expect?”

By the way, the banker showed up in Friday casual - jeans and a T-shirt. Wrinkled, at that.
 

©Sheila Buska 2007

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