The Lucky Penny

Chapter 1: Find a Penny

Jerry's day started like many others. Wake up, yawn, roll over, hit snooze and roll over again. After the quickest eight minutes of his life, he groaned before grabbing his phone and getting out of bed. Time to empty the bladder, brush the teeth (while accidentally spilling some toothpaste on his shirt), and splash some water on his face. Everytime Jerry did something unlucky, like his morning toothpaste ritual, he would simply shrug it off and say 'oh, that's okay'. It had become a routine in itself, a hidden way in which he could keep his optimist fantasy alive.

Despite the routine, Jerry found comfort and joy in the mundane. He enjoyed knowing that each morning would be relatively the same; it instilled a sense of order in his life. But while his routine was extraordinary average, his attitude wasn't. His attitude made Jerry unique. He was happy with everything in his life and he knew that he could have a good day no matter what. Things didn't have to go perfectly for him to enjoy his life and so, he did enjoy it.

The next step in his routine is what he would consider the most essential step. Coffee. The steaming hot to-go cup felt warm on his chilly hands. Jerry still lived with his parents at twenty-five years old, full-time online studying and driving a cab on the side to help pay the bills. In this case, 'one the side' really meant full-time. Jerry was driving most of the day, studying at night and doing both on weekends. His immigrant parents didn't earn much so they relied on Jerry's help. He thought it was the smartest move. Save a little money by living at home, help his parents with the bills, study hard and hopefully have it all pay off in a stable life later. He was studying engineering at Colombia but it only required a few on campus hours per week, making it easy for him to juggle his driving and family commitments.

When the weather started to cool, so did their heating system. The Kumar family were surviving New Jersey's December with no heating and just barely getting by. But despite their struggles, they were a happy family. They were kind, generous with what little they had and in their own sense, lucky. They had a roof over their heads, food on the table and most importantly, they had each other. Jerry had the skill of finding happiness in everyday life, a skill that he was always thankful to his parents for passing down to him.

Jerry quickly checked his old but functional wrist watch before heading to the front door, 6:15am, right on time as usual. Jerry quietly exited his home, wrapped up in his winter gear including a scarf, beanie and fingerless gloves, which had more holes in them that just for the fingers, barely protecting him from the cold, harsh air. His fingertips were already turning blue and frosty in the light snowfall. He had very poor circulation so winter was always a challenge. He hurried, trying to clean the snow off his cab so he can get into the safety and comfort of the worn out leather seats and unreliable heating system. With every swipe of his arm, a little more of the well-known bright yellow revealed itself. He rushed over to the driver's side, giving the door a good, hard yank to open it. His cab was old but he still loved it. He bought the old-fashioned checker cab second hand from a retiring cab driver who gave him a great deal. The car was old and run down but it still worked in all the ways he needed it too, and it was a much better deal than leasing. Cab 374 was Jerry's pride and joy, it was a little piece of New York history that Jerry felt honoured to drive. He kept it clean and running to the best of its ability. He took care of his cab and in return, his cab took care of him. Despite the frequent maintenance, the cab had never given Jerry any real trouble. Jerry hadn't even had a car accident in the cab, not even so much as a scratch.

Jerry always started the day at 6:15am to begin the journey to New York City. The passengers in New York were slightly more ill-mannered than they were in New Jersey but there were more of them, with higher pay checks which meant more opportunity for high tips. The hassle to drive into the city every day was worth it.

Jerry finally got seated in his cab, inserting the key into the ignition and cranking up the heat. As Jerry was in such a rush to get out of the cold, he accidentally misplaced his to-go cup in the cup holder, causing it to spill all over the cabs centre console.