Bad Luck & Crimes of the Heart
From superstition to seduction in twenty-four hours.
Today is Friday the 13th, supposedly the unluckiest day of the year. Tomorrow is the 14th, Valentine's Day. What does it say that the unluckiest day of the year hands off to the most foolish—or the most optimistic?
To me, it says hope refuses to die. As it should.
Now, my mother—bless her contrary, stubborn heart—always insisted the 13th was actually the luckiest day of the year. She never explained why. Just said it was so, the way country folks do when they know what they know. Mama, God bless her, often blissfully ignored the difference between facts and opinion. If she believed it, it was so.
She and I didn't agree on everything (what mother and daughter do?). But I agreed with her when it came to Friday the 13th. For me, it's always signaled good luck.
But I know most folks don't see it that way. Which makes me wonder: Do killers who plan to kill hold off on the 13th? Do thieves who plan to steal decide maybe another day would be better? Does superstition give conscience a little breathing room?
Be the first to know. Or at least pretend you were.
Join the Noir Circle
Crimes, clues, and the occasional confession—right to your inbox.
Nah. I don't think so. Bad luck doesn't check the calendar and crime just needs an opening. Valentine's Day offers plenty.
Liars lie better on this holiday. And the lie itself is bigger.
"I adore you." "I choose you." "I'd walk through fire for you."
Fire? Please. Half the time one won't take a chance unless the other pays the price. And on Valentine's Day, plenty of people do. You wouldn't believe the number of crimes rooted in a box of chocolates and one poorly timed ultimatum.
Take that case in Australia—you know the one. The mistress said, "Leave your wife or lose me." She swore she didn't mean murder. But the husband heard it like a verdict and went home that night with a plan. The wife ended up six feet under and he ended up in prison. Meanwhile, the mistress was telling everybody and anybody that it was all just a "misunderstanding." She'd never meant her ultimatum to be taken "that way."
Fact is love makes people reckless. Fear of missing out does too. You watch enough of them rom coms, read enough of those books and you start to thinking. Wondering. Hmm. Maybe I settled too quick. Maybe I can do better. Maybe I should offload this one—quick. And if you've already got your eye on another prize then…
Noir knew this all along. The Postman Always Rings Twice. Double Indemnity. Those stories aren't set around Valentine's Day, as such.
But they are about love.
And murder.
And they read like hangovers from Friday the 13th—couples who thought they were home free after committing murder, only to be yanked back by stupidity, duplicity and plain bad luck.
(I know you'd never be one of them, right?)
(Just saying.)
So, assuming you survive today—today being the 13th—(and being my mother's child, I'm assuming you will survive and survive well)—then you'll have Valentine's Day to deal with. Maybe the day will dawn and you'll find yourself on your own. You buy your own flowers. Cook your own dinner. Pour yourself a glass of champagne and toast your reflection in the mirror. Nothing wrong with that.
Or maybe you'll get a surprise. (Hopefully, a nice one.) Someone leans close. Says something simple that hits deep. Remembers the small details you forgot you ever shared. You feel the shift in the air—soft, sure, undeniable.
Or maybe you'll be that someone for someone else. (Now there's a thought.)
Now, I won't deny that the 14th can be disappointing. If yours turns out that way, just remember: disappointing ain't deadly—'cause that's how it can be for others. Surviving both days is a victory in itself.
Have you ever noticed, by the way, that there's a pattern to our calendar? Friday the 13th hands off to Valentine's. Halloween gives way to All Souls' Day. The longest night of winter solstice tips toward the return of the sun.
Darkness followed by light, the dead followed by remembrance, bad luck followed by love.
The architecture of hope is built into how we mark time.
So, however your Friday the 13th turns out, remember: the 14th is right behind it.
Darkness, then light. That's the deal. That's always been the deal.
When you wake up on the 15th, you can say to yourself: Still standing. Still here.
That's not nothing.
Happy Friday the 13th, folks—and Happy Valentine's Day, too. See you on the other side.
—Walker
