Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go wrong will.

I am sure most of us have heard about Murphy’s Law. It does reflect on the uncanny side of our life. I had this nagging wish to google it up and I read that it is an adage or an epigram which typically states that, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” I couldn’t help noticing how vulnerable we are to this law.

Just the other day I was to see off a Bhutanese couple at the airport. They were specific. “We have some dried-chillies and a few other stuffs, so it would be nice if you could come to the airport at 10am tomorrow and pick them up.” I promised them I would be there.

First things first, I overslept (it was 20 past 10 when I woke up the next day) thanks to the sleeping disorder I seem to have developed lately. My alarm failed to go off. The couple could not call me (as they later told m), because they were out of phone balance. They were having their own fair share of Murphy’s Law too. I decided against going because by the time I get to the airport, they could already have left. But I made myself move anyway. Better late than never!

The fastest transport would take 30 minutes. This time it took 45. You could imagine how frustrating it is to see even a minute go in waste at such times. The trains usually come every 4 minutes, and this time it was taking more than 10. More trains came from the airport than actually went towards it. Finally, getting into one, it stopped a good long 5 minutes overtime at the penultimate station for no apparent reason, much to my dismay.

Yet I made it, some minutes past 11am. They were there, just sparing a few minutes before they made their final exit. You could actually weigh the relief on their faces. They reward me with dry chillies, as promised, a few other interesting edibles and books, and their cute rice-cooker was icing of the cake. Boy was I glad I didn’t give up and stay back. The dread of them having to carry them along because I failed to show up than actually mine missing them was overwhelming.

Like I said, I wasn’t the only one hanging by the loose noose of the damned Law. They had forgotten to hand over their room keys and a card and that would have cost them a good fine. Nice that I could make up for my delay by returning them a favour.

Long after the generous couple had left I kept on wondering if things go wrong just so that people can step in and make things right? Definitely, Murphy’s Law is not just one piece of a jigsaw puzzle, even if it as cruel as the following parody by Thomas Moore;

I never had a slice of bread,

Particularly large and wide,

That did not fall upon the floor,

And always on the buttered side.