Friday the 13th....

She rolled her eyes.

Again.

She couldn't believe he had even brought it up.

"Think about your life right up until this moment. What are the five worst things that have ever happened to you? Heartbreak, maybe a death in the family, a bad car accident. Seriously, think about it. Did ANY of them happen on Friday the 13th?"

She waited, but he didn't answer her.

"Okay, and now think again, why is Friday the 13th supposed to be such bad luck? Because if you think about it, that doesn't make sense either."

She waited again. He just stared at her so she went on.

"It's the combination of Friday being the day that Christ was crucified and there being 13 at the Last Supper. Twelve disciples and the man of the hour. So Christians decided that Friday the 13th was just super bad luck. BUT that doesn't make sense does it? I mean their entire belief system is based on the crucifixion and resurrection. IF there was no crucifixion, there would be no Christianity. And if there were no Last Supper you wouldn't have had all the last minute prophecy, you'll deny me three times before the cock crows, stuff that cemented him as the head guy, right?"

She was pacing now. Getting into her groove. She had been railing against this for years. You can't call it bad luck and also the basis of your entire religion. It just didn't make sense.

"Of course, there is also the theory that 13 is unlucky because Judas was the last to arrive and he was the one who betrayed Christ to the guards, but AGAIN, no betrayal, no crucifixion, no religion. And then there's a story in Norse mythology about Loki arriving 13th to a dinner and chaos ensuing, but he's Loki, chaos ensuing was kind of his thing. So you can't really count that can you?"

She looked back at him. He was just watching her pace.

"So you see, it's just ridiculous when people get all panicky about Friday the 13th. Oh it's so scary... Nonsense. That's like summer camp shit where we would scare ourselves saying Bloody Mary into the mirror. It's all in your head. Or all of our heads. We've made it a world wide scarefest. Ooooh ...Friday the 13th!"

She sat down on the bench in the garage and looked at him again. He stayed silent.

"So then, maybe, it's because we are all so careful on Friday the 13th that that's why it's not historically a bad day for anyone? Maybe if we were a little frightened of every day we would all be a little more cautious and careful and then every day would be safer. I mean, we'd all be paranoid all the time, but a little paranoia can be healthy, right?"

She laughed then. Thinking he would find the humor in that for sure. He didn't laugh.

"Whatever. Oh! And then there were the movies. But they are just movies. Halloween was technically much scarier. Or Nightmare On Elm Street. That was a screamer for sure! But nobody stopped celebrating Halloween, though, okay, Halloween is supposed to be scary, but still. There are still Elm Streets in every town right? But no, Friday the 13th is the scary one. The bad luck one, the problem one. And I hate it. I really do, it's all so trite."

She looked at her watch.

"So, now you know why I've kept you waiting. I just hate trite. And when I picked you up I honestly had forgotten it was Friday the 13th. Until you said something on the drive here. And see? Your faked paranoia didn't really even help you did it? You weren't really worried about it being Friday the 13th because you knew it's just silly superstitious stuff."

She held her wrist up so he could see the watch now too, "Almost midnight. Saturday here we come."

She held up the knife so he could see it, his face twitching behind the duct tape over his mouth.

"Nothing bad ever really happens on Friday the 13th but," She tapped her watch, "Now it's Saturday."