What Are The Odds?

The earth at the landing of the proud conifer had wanted the dried up cone that was still desperately dangling from the parched branch of the tree. The earth had longed for the cone to fall on its infinite arms. The proud tree had tried to hold on until the harsh wind in the sun-scorched noon plucked the helpless cone. The cone was now at that transient space between the earth and bough from which it used to cling. Unmindful of this thing’s fleeting attraction with gravity, I walked faster on the brick-paved walkway as I had the sudden urge to empty my bladder. I was on my way to the laboratory from having had lunch. At least ten hurried steps after, a group of four students got in my way. They walked playfully, to the point of frolicking, opposite my direction. One was walking backwards while facing the other three. They almost covered the entire width of the walkway while discussing something in Chinese – a post examination hullabaloo, maybe, where students would usually exchange notes deliriously on how they thought they fared in the exam. It was mid-term examination week. Of course, I didn’t understand a word they stuttered or bleated or spoke. As the narrow brick-paved walkway was at the moment impenetrable, blocked, or not passable, I decided to get out of their way. I made a right turn, walked on the grass outside the shoulder of the walkway, as the cone was now falling at a faster speed as it got closer to the ground, overexcited of its rendezvous with gravity. Of course, I didn’t see this. I walked even faster as I loathed the insensitiveness of these students. I walked faster for I couldn’t hold it any longer. I had to get back to the brick-paved track. When I was past, and under, the proud conifer, I stopped for a while; a reflection emanating from a small yellowish loop lying near the foot of the other tree, which was out of my way, and was a meter or two away from proud conifer, got in the way of my line of sight. Now, standing there, hesitating to pick up that thing, probably of gold ring, I had got in the way of the falling cone. It hit my right shoulder! What were the odds? It didn’t hurt though. When I looked back, I saw the cone rolling away from me until it got stuck in a shallow dent on the ground. I turned back to the yellowish loop and forgot for a while my urge to empty my bladder. I forgot about the students. I forgot about the prickly heat of the sun. I forgot about the other passers by. I even forgot about the squirrels on the tree for they could have dropped the cone on me – funny! I did pick it up after all and, in a hurry, I proceeded to the nearest building in the campus and looked for a toilet.

The yellowish loop turned out to be an ear accessory. It was an earring for men, the kind that can be clipped on the ear. Think of Mr. Clean. The thing - I still have it with me - probably has an average of 1 inch for a diameter – its thickness varies along the circumference. I suppose it’s at least 14 K gold. I can be wrong, but I can be right.