Forbidden Literature

24| Unlucky Man

J A S P E R

I have never been a lucky man. I've known this ever since I was a kid when a tornado hit my town and leveled out my family's house taking everything with it. Other homes in the neighborhood were damaged, but not completely gone like ours. The insurance company told us we must have bad luck to be targeted like that. Their words rang true even a few years later when I turned sixteen. My first car ended up being recalled a week after I got it because of the malfunctioning airbags.

Then it happened again when I was eighteen and Mom announced she had breast cancer. She fought it for two years but sadly lost the battle a few days after Christmas. The impact of her death shook our family for years to come. Dad took it worse than anyone else and when I turned twenty-one informed me that he would be pursuing his dreams of being a doctor in a third world country. I didn't blame him for needing to get away from the pain of losing her, but some days I needed him more than he knew.

From there on out it was just me and my younger sister, Jade, leaning on each other for support. It turned out to be difficult because soon she started a family of her own that she soaked up her focus. She didn't have time to take care of her brother and daughter, not that I blame her.

I filled my loneliness by studying like a mad man getting the best grades all throughout my college career. Once I finished I ended up getting a teaching position at Bulfort University instead of Ridgefield like I wanted. It all added up to me finally believing that I am very unlucky man.

But that all changed a few days ago when Allison Miller showed up to my class asking to be my assistant.

Before the semester started the department had asked if any professors needed assistants and I completely ignored it. In truth, I was doing fine on my own. However one day when talking to a colleague who said life was much easier with an assistant I decided why the hell not? I turned in my request late, but better late than never I suppose. Throughout winter break I receive several requests from others students asking to be my assistant, but I always found an excuse to deny them. They certainly met the criteria, but they just didn't have what I want. Soon I began to realize exactly who I was looking for. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't bring myself to regret my decision.

Weeks went by and I never heard from her so I almost pulled my request the first day of class when the unthinkable happened. Standing in my doorway was the most beautiful woman who could make a wrinkly sweatshirt with multiple stains look breathtaking: Allison Miller, the one I had been searching for. Finally, luck smiled upon me. Albeit a little late, but nonetheless it made its appearance.

Now after months of only being able to see her from a distance, she was there a few feet away looking at me with a steady gaze. I almost spilled my coffee all over me right then and there turning my luck around, but I held it together some how.

The next few days were spent emailing back and forth trying to figure out when to meet. Admittedly, I looked forward to those emails and used every chance I got to check and see if she replied. A part of me knew that it was wrong and I shouldn't be acting this way, but as soon as I was notified of a new email by her I tossed the guilt aside. I wasn't going to lie to myself, I had missed her.

I was never sure of how I had lost Allison after we spent that night together at the convention. I didn't understand why she never returned to my room and it still bothers me today. Instead of trying to pinpoint what exactly happened I blamed it on my bad luck. It made sense that I would find a woman like her only to let her slip through my fingers a few days later. But now she was back every Wednesday and Friday for four hours. Maybe not in the way I wanted, but I would take whatever I could get.