A Sky Without Stars

Part 10-May

The exact moment my life started to go downhill---well, more downhill that usual, anyway---occurred approximately ten minutes after I decided to act kindly towards a complete stranger.

I walked into St. Barnabas one bright, sunshiny morning, sleep-deprived and disheveled from ten extra minutes of traffic, and I decided to stop by my locker. After grabbing a hoodie from the bottom, and dropping off my books, I began walking down the hall to go see Isaac and Castor.

It was at this point when I noticed the five dollar bills on the ground.

The girl walking in front of me was holding open her purse and, unknowingly, dropping money all over the hallway. I silently picked up the bills and tapped her shoulder, but she ignored me. Again I tapped her shoulder, and she turned around, clearly annoyed...that is, until I showed her the money.

"Excuse me, I noticed you dropped these," I said, quietly. Her eyes widened as big as saucers, and she ripped the money from my hands.

"Thank you!" she cried, and she ran quickly away to her locker. I looked straight ahead blankly, not really sure what to do next. As I walked down the hall once again, a group of several girls approached me and commended me on such a "noble" deed. Strange, I know---all I did was pick up a few dollars and return them to their owner---but apparently that was enough. Kids came up to me and praised my kindness for the first few periods of school, which kind of freaked me out, to be honest. I was so used to being the invisible kid, that a sudden surge of attention was not something I was accustomed to.

My day continued to get better from there. In art class, we were working on the final projects of the year, and I got comments from several people on how fantastic it looked. I was spared the horror of being called on in math class, and I aced the review worksheet in religion. A smile remained on my face as things continued to get better and better.

Apparently, doing a minor act of kindness could have a big impact.

English, too, was even better than usual. Miss Hawthorne, being the lazy woman she was, decided that we'd be busying ourselves with group work. Our class was just finishing the Odyssey, and our assignment was to write our own chapter. I, of course, found this assignment to be fascinating...and not just because of the writing. My group ended up consisting of me, Melody, and Castor. While we brainstormed, Castor accidentally bumped my feet under the desks several times, which Melody clearly noticed. Evidently, he did not. But every time his foot even brushed against mine, my heart pounded with exhilaration. One little touch, and a swarm of butterflies would overtake my stomach.

Now, based on the events occurring on this day, one might assume that things in my life would make a comeback: Castor and I effortlessly begin dating, my family becomes whole again, and we all live happily ever after.

But this story isn't over yet.

See, the thing is, just when everything started seeming so perfect, so absolutely right...it all started going wrong.

What they say about karma is nowhere near true. Philosophers say that those who do good in this world will have good vibes reciprocated to them. Well, that statement is full of crap. So what if you're a good person? No matter who you are, saint or sinner, bad stuff still happens. Everyone gets broken, everyone ends up hurt at one time or another.

I believe that karma goes something more like this: no one is prone to adversity. It happens to the best of us, the worst of us. The kindest child or the stealthiest criminal; we're all destined for rough times.

But maybe, instead of good karma for the kind at heart...maybe the best people receive the worst luck in this world. Maybe they are stuck with the most horrible situations...but it's more than that. It's not meant to be some sort of cruel, evil twist of fate. Those who must endure painful scenarios haven't necessarily done anything terrible; maybe we're all being tested. Or, perhaps, the nicest and most courageous people are put into difficult situations because they are strong enough to withstand them. Maybe those people with relatively happy lives wouldn't be able to persist through one of sorrow.