Hang It Up | ONC 2023

2. Let the Coin Decide

The bank is big and echoey and, now that we have withdrawn the money for the deposit on the apartment and the smallest euro cent coin they would allow, we are down to less than fifty euros between the two of us.

"Okay," he sighs, holding the coin in his palm. "Whatever the coin says is what will happen. Are we both okay with all the outcomes?"

"You win, I have to take the apartment. I win, you have to take the apartment," I repeat. "I call, you'll flip. We're using this new uncompromized coin so neither of us can say there was any cheating involved."

"What happens if it rolls down those stairs over there?" the woman behind us asks. "You should agree what to do if the answer isn't clear."

"I—" We both look at each other. It's clear neither of us considered what we would do if the answer was unclear. Probably because the odds of a coin not landing on one side of the other are literally non-existent.

"Probably make sense for you to flip again," another helpful bystander says. "Or just agree to share whatever it is you're fighting over."

"It's an apartment," I say simply.

"Oh, maybe not, then."

"Why not?" I ask, getting way too brave. "I mean, it's not likely the coin will do anything but give us a clear answer. On the, what, 0.02% chance it does something else maybe we should just accept it as fate or the universe or whatever."

"We've had a one in a million odds coming here and look at our luck." He replies.

"Exactly. So if it happens again..." I look up to find him biting at his lip, arms firmly held behind his back, exposing his strong shoulder muscles to everyone with eyes. He's not into the idea. "Never mind. I'm being ridiculous."

"You aren't," he says finally. "You're right. Off chance it does something unexpected, we'll let the universe have her way. No fighting with fate, right?"

Are we really sitting here agreeing to get married because of a coin flip?

"It won't matter anyway," the lady beside us helpfully offers, having no idea what she's just stepped in the middle of. "Just don't throw it down the stairs."

"Right," I agree. "Yeah. It's just a coin toss. It'll be fine."

"So are we agreed?" Rafael asks after a moment, lifting my chin with his finger until I'm looking him in the eye. "Are we okay with all outcomes?"

"Yes," I answer, swallowing the lump growing in my throat. It's going to be fine. It's just a coin toss.

He nods again and hands me the coin. "You flip; I'll call."

"We agreed to the opposite," I say, pushing the coin back into his hands. My eyes wander to the staircase that holds my destiny.

I do not want this coin to roll down those stairs, I think as hard as I can. Maybe the coin will believe me. I'm not sure I believe myself right now. The situation is dire and the odds of us finding anywhere else are... slim. We need this apartment and we don't have another choice. I glance back at the stairs again, not sure at all which outcome I'm hoping for.

"Okay." He swallows, holding the coin in his hand. "Call it in the air."

Why can't I breathe?

He balances the coin on his thumb and everything stills.

"One, two..." he counts, "three."

And then the coin is in the air, flipping circles around itself as it rises toward the ceiling.