We were sitting on the back porch. Yumeko was seated at the small card table set up on the right side of the porch, shuffling a deck of cards over and over. The seat across from her was empty. I was sitting on the other side of the porch, in a paint-chipped rocking chair. We both overlooked the secluded beach.
As we pulled our hands away, it revealed that I had estimated correctly. On my side was my rock. On her side, a scissor card. Even though she lost, Yumeko giggled and humbly hid her mouth with her hand. “Oh my. It appears I’m starting at a disadvantage.” If any other person had said it, I might have believed them,
Once again, I was faced with a decision. Unfortunately, this time, I had much less confidence in my choice than before. With reckless abandon, I closed my eyes and pulled randomly from my hand. Even with my eyes closed, I could feel the pressure of Yumeko’s stare. “Fun, Ryota. I like that you’re giving yourself over to the gamble.” Even
Yumeko wasted no time. Her eyes darted between her three cards, and that devilish smile gradually took over the gentle curve of her lips. Once she had studied her own hand, her gaze lifted to meet mine. I felt nothing. A heavy emptiness had rooted itself into the pit of my stomach. Why did I ever think I could beat
There it was. My heart thrummed somewhere between my chest and my ears as I stared down at the card Yumeko had played. There, across from the paper I had played, was another rock. Somehow, I had beaten the odds. Fate, destiny, what have you… for whatever reason, chose me, and the only way I knew to react was to