I have heard bad things tend to come in threes and am beginning to believe - and hope - that is true. Mostly, because I don't know if I can take more than that and would like for the cosmos not to test my hypothesis.
In the past week-and-a-half, I feel like I have been hit with some major bombshells. I admit there have been some good and downright great moments, but, unfortunately, they are being severely overshadowed in my mind.
I had a similar experience last spring, and history seems to be repeating itself, although, not in the same way. However, it is the season for luck - at least in my family.
In seventh grade, I spent part of my spring break in Louisiana with my cousins. Although they were 20-somethings at the time, they decided to forego the traditional Mardi Gras experience for a more PG-rated one with me.
We went to a daytime parade, caught beads, listened to music, and I ate my first slice of king cake. I remember them saying that if you found the baby it was good luck, and I didn't question this knowledge. They were adults, after all, and I was just a kid.
For 11 years I have believed what they told me. So when I had the opportunity to enjoy some king cake this year, I was excited about the possibility of finding that lucky baby because I am awaiting what could be some very big news.
In fact, I, jokingly, took it really seriously. I surveyed the table of options, and when I picked up my slice of cake, I pretended as if it was a wee bit heavier - and fumbled under its "incredible" weight.
As I was eating, however, I noticed something was different about my slice - it had a foot and a torso and an arm and, well, finally an entire body of a naked baby.
Depending on where you live, however, the baby in a king cake can mean many different things. Since Mardi Gras was this past week, I looked up some of those traditions on Wikipedia.
In New Orleans, it is customary for the person who finds the baby in the king cake to provide the next cake or host the next Mardi Gras party.
When king cake is served in Mexico, the person who finds the figurine is suppose to host a party on Feb. 2 and to provide the guests with tamales and atole.
The person who finds a trinket - not necessarily a baby - in their slice of cake in France becomes king for the day and will have to offer the next cake.
I think you will notice one important thing about these three traditions - none of them go along with my version of having good luck.
So, maybe the baby isn't actually lucky according to cultural traditions. Just finding it felt very special after the show I had put on, especially since I have never felt particularly lucky when it comes to playing the lottery or other similar games of chance - anyone who has played Yahtzee against me can attest to this.
It is definitely lucky that I have learned to cook the year before finding the baby. That means next year, I might be able to actually make the next king cake and uphold one of the traditions.
I also plan to start looking for a four-leaf clover. I am 100 percent sure those are lucky.
•Contact Andrea Hall at ahall@gwcommonwealth.com.
