An Unlikely Duo

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to meet your reconciliation?

They say opposites attract because they strive for you to do better in areas you do not yet excel in, and perhaps that is true. But why does no one express their desire to be with someone who brings you peace of mind once and for all? Does no one want to meet an individual who challenges you to receive the closure you have so longed for? And boy did she long for closure. She longed for the day where she could finally release the guilt brought upon her by all the people she let down. She longs for the day where she can let go of what once was and start to live again. Even the meadow of daisies before her could not stop her thoughts from racing. Their beauty could not stop the maddening question from bubbling to the surface once again.

Would she ever be able to let go and live?

Of course, she hoped beyond hope that the answer was yes. But after years of waiting and dreaming, a future where her guilt did not follow her was almost obsolete. If only there was a way to escape the judgments of people who did not agree with her decisions. If only there was a way to let their opinions go. If only she could learn to forgive herself and forget the ways she has messed up in the past. She has brainstormed numerous ways to do so, but the judgmental cloud of others caused her to always come up empty-handed. Even now when she closes her eyes and tries to make everything fade away just for a moment, her thoughts are filled with the downtrodden features of people with broken dreams. She wishes she could go back and fix it all. She wishes she could ensure everyone's happiness twenty-four-seven.

How could she make others happy, when she could barely do so to herself?

Did it really matter though? Does she even deserve to be happy? Maybe she has made too many mistakes. Maybe that is why her empathy for others coincides with a prolific apathy towards herself. Who cares if the emptiness inside of her was starting to take a permanent residence? Her plethora of flaws made her incapable and undeserving of happiness.

“Well, you look like you’ve had quite the day,” blurted Fate, effectively interrupting her train of jumbled thoughts. 

“Then perhaps it’s wise for you to leave me be,” Coincidence answered, her eyes remaining fixed on the field of daisies before her. 

“Nonsense! A sight this beautiful should not be witnessed alone,” Fate beamed as he took a seat beside her. 

“I beg to differ,” Coincidence grumbled, shifting as far away as she could on the narrow bench. 

“Tell me, what has you so distraught this late on such a fine evening?” Fate asked, a curious glint to his voice. 

“Surely nothing that I would even consider sharing with a stranger,” Coincidence scoffed. 

“But am I truly a stranger?” Fate murmured. 

“I don’t know so much as your name, so yes. No other term would do you justice,” Coincidence hissed back. 

“And what would allow me to assume a different label in your eyes? Perhaps even one that said, friend?” Fate wondered. 

Coincidence laughed humorlessly. “Friend? Please, such a relationship does not exist in a world like this one.”

“And what world is this?” Fate inquired. 

“A facetious world filled with hate.” Coincidence retorted. 

“Hate? Do you see hate in the way the world treats you?” 

“I see hate in the way humans look for signs only to be disappointed. I see hate in how they take chances to make their dreams come true, and yet when they do not I am somehow to blame. When really… ” Coincidence trailed off. 

“When really what?” Fate probed. 

“When really you are to blame.” Coincidence barked, anger reaching the surface. 

“Me?” Fate objected. “How did you settle at this preposterous accusation?” 

“You encourage them to look for meaning in every decision they make! You inspire them to believe that they can do no wrong as everything happens for a reason and it will all work out one day if it’s meant to be.” Coincidence shuddered in disgust. 

Fate failed to hide the amusement from his face. “Ah, and you don’t think this could possibly be the case. You would rather believe that life is simply a series of flukes.”

“That is exactly what I believe, and if only the rest of the human race agreed, perhaps I would not have had ‘quite the day’ as you so eloquently put it.” Coincidence mocked. 

Fate's eyes twinkled mischievously. “Have you ever thought that without me your day, nay your life, would be much worse?”

“Now that’s rich.” Coincidence snorted. “How do you figure that?” 

Fate shrugged smugly. “Without me, the hopeless and broken would have no one to turn to when every turn they take leads them to a dead end.”

“Do you only listen to your own voice?” Coincidence glowered at him. “I just told you that the defeated don’t look to you for hope. They blame me for their misfortune and then they stop taking chances altogether.” 

“But don’t you see, you and I are like family. After all the hardships we have seen, we are practically one and the same!" Fate shook his head. "When those people stop taking chances because they’ve reached the parts of life that are less forgiving to the spontaneous, they are following a new path. A path that is planned and ready to lead them to the life they were meant to live.” 

“You mean to tell me that all the risks they took and the instances of happenstance that led them to a point of seemingly no return, were all intended?” Coincidence sputtered. 

Fate smiled. “That is exactly what I am suggesting.” 

“How can you smile? How can dare you to call us family and be satisfied in knowing that you’ve made my own life utterly meaningless?” Coincidence cried in outrage. 

“I have done no such thing! I told you; we work together. Without your influence on the world, how could I ever get anyone to go through the steps of their destiny?” Fate explained. 

“So you arriving at the same park as me, was what exactly?” Coincidence crowed. 

“Please,” flirted Fate, “our meeting was meant to be.”