I’ve often noticed that once coincidences start happening they go on happening in the most extraordinary ways. Today, I had quit my job at the car manufacturing company when it was discovered that my personal wrench was used to disable some of the machinery there. Seeing as the president of the company had already hated me, I decided to leave quickly before things heated up and I was sued for “destruction of owned property”.
Currently, I was riding down Emperor Avenue, which was my usual route home, when I noticed a construction group up ahead. Not wanting to waste time, I took a shortcut, going on the mountain path Rocky High, which was only used for emergencies and the occasional scenic drive. The most distinctive aspect about this path, however, was the fact that I was the only one who used it. This was because two years ago, I was the only male in the state that managed to get the SUV XL, which could drive on Rocky High without any problem, while most cars at the time would had even the slightest problem with the road.
As a result, I was surprised to see a woman in hiking gear on the road, as not even bikers or joggers have ever used it. Slowing down, I took a better look at her, taking note of her bright neon blue hair with black streaks, shorts with red stripes, and a shirt with the Burner dragon from the cartoon series Dragonexus. She looked up, and smiled at me.
“Hey, there!” she said. “You wouldn’t mind if I join you?”
“Sure.” I replied.
Grinning, she practically jumped inside, and decided to sit right next to me as I drove the car downward.
“Where were you going, Miss…?”
“Eve. Call me Eve. And I was just trying out a new route, that’s all.”
“Hmm… DO you watch Dragonex?”
Dragonex, as I said, was a cartoon that featured dragons attempting to adjust to modern society, all the while fighting against the Dinomitrixs, who sek to conquer the world once more. The show, while great, did not garner much attention among teens and adults, and as a result, most people I meet who wore Dragonex merchandise were not even aware that it was a cartoon. Thus, I was pleasantly surprised by her answer.
“Watch it? I LIVED it! I love the characters and the plot and the setting, and season 3 is really kicking things off with that mecha dragon! OHMYGOSHITISTHEBEST!!!”
“Except Season 2?”
“Except Season 2. The writers completely ruined the story.”
She had good taste. That was obvious.
So I asked about other things such as her favorite color (Black), favorite band (JustiΦs), favorite video game (Kenju), and favorite book (Begins Night). As it turns out, we were a lot more in common than we realized. It was fascinating yet odd, meeting somebody who just so happened to have the exact same interests as you. I eventually had to stop the SUV as when we finally got into the city where my home is, we ended up in a traffic jam, which was a first for me. Eve was starting to look anxious, though I had no idea why. There was really no reason to be anxious after all.
“Hey, uh, I need to tell you something.” Eve said.
“What is it?”
“Have you ever been bored with your life? Like, you feel as if you’ve been stuck in this routine, as if time has been looping. You can’t help but feel empty when interacting with the world around you, because it just feels like you’ve already seen everything. You just can’t help but feel like if you were born somewhere else, you would be leading a more fulfilling life than here.”
“What’s the point of this?”
“What I want to ask is… Will you abandon everything and go on a road trip with me?”
“That’s a bold thing to ask.” Yet despite this, I was considering it. It really was growing boring, and my neighbors were very predictable. Playing board games with them was, simply put, no longer as fun as it was two years ago.
“What makes you think I will agree?” I asked.
“It’s just, you remind me of someone I used to know.” Eve said. “And—”
“Excuse me, you got a license for that?”
I turned around, and saw through the window a police officer. Unrolling the window, I instinctively took out my Driver’s License, as there was no other reason for him ask that question.
“Do you mean my Driver’s license?”
“Yes, sir. That hot shot criminal had stolen another car today, but we think we managed to pinpoint his location. We’re just making sure the other drivers here aren’t possible suspects. Say, you actually look alot like this guy.”
“Well, officer, just so you know, I happened to be working at the car manufacturing company up the hill for six hours, so I couldn’t have stolen the car.” Partially a lie, since there was thirty minutes of free time, but he didn’t need to know that.
“Very well than, I shall confirm this with your boss. Thank you for your time.”
As he left, I noticed that Eve was hyperventilating a bit. She calmed down, however, and turned and gave me this inquisitive look.
“You wouldn’t happen to attend Majorly Elementary, Ms. Goodison, did you?”
“Yes I did. What makes you so sure?”
She suddenly smiled. “I knew I recognized you, Ken. It’s me, Evenasca, remember?”
I in fact did remember, though I was a bit surprised to have met a classmate from back then. We were acquaintances from Kindergarten to 4th grade, mainly because she was the only person I could tolerate there. She had a love for action, and liked reading superhero comics.
“Evenasca, why were you hyperventilating earlier?”
“Well,” she started, with a sheepish look on her face, “I may or may not have been framed for the manslaughter of fifty men at a store a few weeks ago.”
“Ah. And the reason you want me to join you on your escape trip is…?”
“Well, I noticed that there were wanted posters that looked like you, and considering what a nice kid you were back then, you were probably in the same boat as I was!”
Ah, so fate has drawn two past childhood friends who are now considered “criminals” by society towards each other. How interesting. The trip would certainly be more fun than hanging out in town, where people claimed me to be a “no-good thief” and a “mad psychotic car breaker”. It is sad, how trapped they are in their homes.
“Very well then, I’ll drive you home so you can pack your stuff, and as you do so I will pack my stuff. We will meet at the Midas Railroad and travel to California, at 10:00 AM tomorrow. Will that be okay?”
“Yup!” she said. “Oh, and thanks for agreeing. It must be trouble to just drop everything and run away with me.”
“Not really.”
Traffic finally started moving, and as we drove down the road, I wondered how my life would be different if I hadn’t met my childhood friend on Rocky High. I would be sued by my boss, and be forced to live in prison for my “list of crimes”. I would be forced to eat horrible food and associate with low-lives who are more interested with showing off their muscles than with improving themselves. If I was not sued by the boss, than I would be stuck transporting the parts of cars around for the rest of my life. I would be demoted eventually, and would probably later be crushed by trash alive while taking said trash out.
Life is like a program. You add all these commands and expect things to go your way, but one little flaw completely topples things down. Whether that flaws brings forth destruction or creation, however, is left entirely up to chance. In the end, what causes some of our most life-changing events isn’t some god or deity of fate: it is simply a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wonder what other extraordinary events will occur on this road trip? Well, all that matters for now is that I have my fun.
“Life is a nothing more than a series of coincidences. They can be good, they can be bad. Whether they are detrimental or beneficial to you, however, depends on how you see it. Live freely, and don’t lose hope, for just as a ride through town can lead to your death, a blizzard that traps you in a cave may lead to new friends.”
— Ken, 1/01/2020
Noah Chung is currently in tenth grade. "Coming up with interesting and intriguing stories to amaze and inspire others is something I want to do. "