The Tragic Nature of Luck

Eric is out on a stroll with Nova, his dog. While out for a stroll, Eric becomes separated from Nova as she yanks the leash off his grasp to get a rabbit that had just jumped out of a bush. Nova sees Eric chasing after her, but this only makes her run even faster, allowing her to escape his sight as she pursues the rabbit, which has, by this point, concealed itself someplace in the opposite direction. It takes a long time before it is evident that Nova has outpaced her sense of direction and is now lost. The remainder of the day, plus the next few days, are devoted to Eric's search for Nova. He alerts nearby residents, asks relatives and friends to lend a hand, posts signs, and so on.

After a week, Nova is still unaccounted for. Eric is heartbroken beyond words. He considers how dreadfully awful it was that the rabbit leaped out at precisely the wrong moment, causing Nova to be able to take the leash from his fingers. A woman with Nova arrives at Eric's front door a week later. Eric thanks the woman when they reunite in a frantic, endearing display of affection. Vanessa is revealed as her identity as she introduces herself to Eric. She is equally as attractive as Eric's age. In the following weeks, Eric and Vanessa briefly converse and click. Because everything is going so well, they quickly start dating. According to Eric, she embodies all the desirable qualities of the ideal romantic partner in a novel, including being utterly attractive, kind, humorous, smart, and impulsive.

The relationship between Eric and Vanessa quickly develops into everything a person might reasonably expect in a relationship. Erick reflects on how fortunate it was that Vanessa was in the correct place to locate and retrieve Nova at the right moment. After a few months have passed, Eric is driving to pick up Vanessa. A distracted driver coming from the perpendicular side street T-bones Eric while going through an intersection at high speed. Eric is unconscious when his vehicle is thrown into a violent 1080° spin. After about an hour, Eric discovers himself at a hospital.

Eric is told what happened and informed that he had sustained a significant head injury. The doctor says that they will have to perform some emergency tests in addition to a brain scan to establish the severity and whether there is a danger of internal bleeding or lasting brain damage. Erick considers how unlucky it was to be going to fetch Vanessa in the precise direction when Eric is being held overnight at the hospital as his consciousness starts to come back to him more clearly.

The following day, the doctor visits Eric in his room and asks him a few questions before telling him something. Eric replies in confusion: ", " The doctor replies. Eric asks, his degree of worry and perplexity growing. Eric glances at the doctor as he pauses for a second without understanding what it implies. Eric questions the doctor's subsequent statement that "it's a tumour." "We conducted the brain scan. We discovered the tumour as a result of the brain scan. We often only detect tumours like this one "... But because we discovered the tumor immediately away, we were able to remove it while it was still benign rather than waiting for it to turn malignant and spread to other parts of your brain, which is usually always fatal. The doctor says, "But since it's still in this stage, we ought to be able to eliminate it almost entirely without any problem." Eric begins to experience a strange, visceral tingling sensation and feels a little lost. Eric nevertheless scans the space. He considers how fortunate he was to have gone to retrieve Vanessa in that precise location and moment. He considers how fortunate he was to be involved in the collision. He considers how odd it is for him to think this.

Eric becomes aware of how little he understands about anything at this point. No matter how good or horrible, fortunate or unlucky anything may appear to be, he has never known and will never be able to know what is on the other end of anything that occurs to him or because of him. Eric experiences a bizarre, conflicting sense of freedom and helplessness. Eric had brain surgery to remove the tumor about a week later. The procedure is a success. Except for a scar running across the side of his skull, Eric is essentially brand new. A few days later, Eric recuperates at home with Vanessa after being discharged from the hospital. He leads Nova on a walk to catch some fresh air.