Friday the 13th is considered a day of bad luck in English-, French– and Portuguese-speaking countries around the world, as well as in Austria, Germany, Estonia, Finland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Republic of Ireland, Poland, Bulgaria, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, and the Philippines.
I believe in this too. There was a time when my father was still working in Saudi, he came home on a Friday the 13th. We rented a van as usual. On our way home to Olongapo (with my dad already with us), the tire in front exploded somewhere in Manila. We didn’t have a choice but to take a cab along with his baggage, while the rest who came along with us took a bus. When we were almost in Pampanga, again the tire went flat. It took a while before it was fixed.
Same bad luck happened to me last year. Though it didn’t happen on the 13th, but it was on a Good Friday. My parents were telling me to re-sched our flight but I really can’t. I have to be back at work the following day. So I went ahead tagging along my daughter with me. Guess what? We reached the airport 4 hours before our departure (as per the new rule) only to find out that the flight has been delayed to 4pm. We were asked to come back at least an hour before the flight, so we did. Boarding time was supposed to be around 3pm but we were allowed to get in the plane at past 6pm. It was hell! Imagine carrying Derelle with me, yup literally carrying her because she also had a fever that day and didn’t want to sit on her stroller. Plus the hand luggage that I had to carry with me.
Was it really a day of bad luck or just a coincidence that it happened on a Friday (the 13th)?
