The Roll of a Lifetime

Ethan Calloway never made a decision without rolling his dice.

It had started as a game in college—a late-night dare, a silly ritual among friends who couldn’t decide what to order for takeout.

The First Roll

They were arguing when Ethan had pulled out a pair of dice from a board game box and declared, “Odds, we get pizza. Evens, Chinese.”

The dice rolled onto the carpet, showing a four and a six.

Chinese it was.

It seemed innocent enough, fun even, until Ethan started using the dice for more than just food choices. What movie to watch? What topic to write his final paper on? What game should he buy? With each roll, he felt lighter, freer. He didn’t have to agonize over choices anymore—he could just let fate decide.

By the time he graduated, the dice had become part of him.

A System for Everything

At thirty-four, Ethan still carried the same pair of dice in his pocket. They were small, red-and-white, worn down from years of use. When he wasn’t rolling them, he was absentmindedly rubbing his thumb over the smooth edges, a comfort he couldn’t explain.

He had a system now.

Evens meant yes. Odds meant no.

Double sixes meant take a risk.

Snake eyes? Stay put.

He used them for everything.

Morning meetings at work? Roll the dice—if they were high, he’d speak up. Low, he’d keep quiet. When friends invited him out, he’d roll before answering. If his girlfriend, Sara, asked about their future together, he’d secretly consult the dice before responding.

It wasn’t gambling. It wasn’t superstition. It was just a method.

At least, that’s what he told himself.

Rolling Away Responsibility

At first, Sara thought the dice were a joke.

“Tell me you don’t actually let those decide what we do,” she said one night as Ethan rolled them across their kitchen counter. They had been discussing vacation plans, and instead of weighing the pros and cons of a beach trip versus a city getaway, Ethan had simply let the dice decide.

“I mean, not always,” he said, scooping them up.

Sara folded her arms. “Not always?”

“It’s just a fun way to make choices.”

She frowned. “What if I told you I wanted to get married? Would you roll for that too?”

Ethan laughed, but the way she was looking at him made his stomach twist. He thought about it, then reached into his pocket.

Sara grabbed his wrist before he could roll.

“That’s not how life works, Ethan.”

But wasn’t it? He had made it this far. The dice had kept him steady, made sure he didn’t get lost in the overwhelming mess of decision-making.

Still, he put them away—for now.

The Big Bet

Then came the day everything changed.

Ethan’s company was downsizing. Employees were being let go left and right. His boss called him into the office and gave him a choice:

Take a severance package and leave, or accept a demotion with lower pay and fewer responsibilities.

Ethan sat in his tiny office for hours, staring at the paperwork. This wasn’t like choosing dinner or a movie—this was his career, his livelihood.

His fingers drifted to his pocket.

Leave on even, stay on odd.

He rolled.

A four and a six. Ten.

Leave.

His heart pounded.

He picked up the dice and rolled again.

Another even.

Ethan swallowed hard. He should go. The dice were telling him to go.

But could he really trust them with something this big?

For the first time in years, doubt crept in. He picked them up again, ready to roll until they told him what he wanted to hear.

He didn’t notice Sara standing in the doorway.

The Breaking Point

She had seen enough.

“You’re rolling the dice for this?” she asked, her voice a mix of disbelief and anger.

Ethan jerked upright, stuffing the dice into his pocket like a guilty child caught sneaking candy. “Sara, it’s just—”

“Just what? A fun way to make choices?” Her eyes were wet. “You’re rolling dice to decide whether you should quit your job?”

He had no answer.

She let out a shaky breath. “I can’t do this anymore, Ethan.”

His chest tightened. “Sara, don’t—”

“Do I even matter in this relationship? Or do you just roll dice to decide if you love me?”

He wanted to say no. He wanted to say, Of course I love you. But when he opened his mouth, the words didn’t come.

The silence was enough of an answer.

Sara took off her engagement ring—one he had picked not through careful thought, but through a roll of the dice—and placed it on his desk.

“One day I hope you figure out what you really want,” she said softly.

Then she walked out.

The Aftermath

The days that followed were a blur.

Ethan quit his job. He told himself it was his decision, not the dice’s, but he wasn’t sure if that was true.

Sara was gone.

He sat alone in their empty apartment, dice in his palm, rolling them over and over without even looking at the numbers.

Had he really been making choices, or had he been hiding from them?

Had the dice ever actually been helping him? Or had they been nothing more than an excuse to avoid responsibility?

He didn’t know.

And for the first time in his life, that terrified him.

The Last Roll

One night, Ethan found himself at a bar, staring into his whiskey glass, the dice on the table beside him.

A stranger, an older man with tired eyes, noticed them and chuckled. “You a gambler?”

Ethan shook his head. “Not exactly.”

The man took a sip of his beer. “What’s with the dice, then?”

Ethan hesitated. He didn’t want to explain, didn’t want to say the words out loud because then he’d have to admit how ridiculous it all sounded. But maybe that’s what he needed.

He exhaled. “I use them to make decisions.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “All decisions?”

Ethan nodded.

The man whistled. “Heck of a way to live.”

Ethan sighed. “Yeah.” He stared at the dice. “But I think it’s time to stop.”

The man shrugged. “Then stop.”

Ethan picked them up, rolling them between his fingers. They felt lighter than they ever had before. He glanced at the old man. “One last roll?”

The man grinned. “Why not?”

Ethan shook the dice in his palm, then let them tumble onto the table.

Snake eyes.

He exhaled, a small, incredulous smile forming on his lips.

“Guess I stay put,” he murmured.

For the first time in years, he put the dice away—not in his pocket, but in his coat. Away from his touch. Away from his decisions.

It was time to start choosing for himself.

A New Beginning

The next morning, Ethan woke up and made his first real decision.

No dice. No rolling. Just him.

It was terrifying.

And maybe, just maybe, that was the point.

To make decisions for yourself.