The Luckiest Day of the Year

In honor of Friday the 13th....

The Luckiest Day of the Year

Mark entered the teacher’s lounge, hoping that the coffee available was fresh.  He needed a decent cup after the morning he’d had. 

He’d gotten behind in his Earth and Space Science class when a discussion about full moons led to teenagers shouting at each other about werewolves, vampires, and zombies.  A student in his biology class threw up while he was explaining how broken bones healed.  And three boys in his chemistry class caused their beakers to explode when they tried to hurry the chemical process he was leading the class in by doubling the temperature on their burners.  Thankfully no one was hurt.

But Mark really needed a cup of coffee.

Three of his fellow teachers were already in the lounge, and he heard Ms. Krist, the English teacher, ask fervently.  “Is it a full moon or something?  I swear every class I’ve had today has been hyper or completely zoned out.”

Jerry Angles, the art teacher, laughed.  “As a matter of fact, it is a full moon and it’s Friday the 13^th!”

Jane groaned.  “I completely forgot.  Well, that explains it.  I personally think that Friday the 13^th should be an automatic day off.”

“Hear!  Hear!” Jerry and Sam, one of the school’s counselors, agreed.

“What do you think, Mark?” Sam asked as Mark joined them with his thankfully fresh cup of coffee.  “Friday the 13^th is a day to avoid, isn’t it?”

Laughing, Mark agreed that avoiding the students on this particular day would be nice, but he personally didn’t want to avoid the day itself….

A few hours later, tired and glad to be home, Mark unlocked his front door and was soon dressed in much more comfortable clothes and heading to the kitchen.  It would be a couple hours before Connor arrived home from work, and so he set about making a savory meat pie, filling it with beef, sausage, potatoes, carrots and peas, and then letting it slowly heat in the oven as he made a rich gravy they would ladle over it when dinner time came.  It was Connor’s favorite meal, and Mark felt some energy return to him as he imagined Connor’s surprise when they would sit down to eat.

The table was set, and Mark had just finished running the vacuum when the front door opened and his husband entered their small home. 

“Ugh,” Connor groaned as he shrugged out of his coat.  “What a day!  Our fax machine broke.  The internet went down for two hours, and somebody nuked sauerkraut in the office microwave!  The place stank for the rest of the afternoon!” he complained as he hung up his outer clothes and stepped out of his shoes.  “I know I shouldn’t be superstitious, but sometimes I dread this….”  He stopped speaking and sniffed the aroma in the house appreciatively as Mark came close and wrapped an arm around his waist.  “It smells like meat pie in here!”

“It should, since that’s what’s in the oven,” Mark told him.

Connor’s eyes lit up and he pressed a kiss to Mark’s lips.  “Did you make it for me?”

“Of course I did.  It’s a special day.”

“To most people it’s a day of bad luck and craziness, which I might have to agree with after today’s work problems.”

Mark shook his head.  “I’ll never agree with that.  I think Friday the 13^th is the luckiest day of the year, because you were born on a Friday the 13^th…31 years ago today.  I became the luckiest man in the world that day.”

Connor chuckled as he turned and wrapped his arms around Mark so they were face-to-face.  “You were seven months old when I was born on that Friday the 13^th.  I wouldn’t call you a man.”

“Well, you can say I was the luckiest seven-month-old then, and I’m still lucky today.  Happy birthday, Connor-love.”