Fate can bring you to certain outcomes. First of all, TLA shares “The car that hit us was driven by an old man who had a heart attack and veered wildly into our lane, not giving me a moment to react. I’d had my seatbelt on, and I awakened in the hospital with no memory of the accident except the back and head and leg injuries. ” (TLA 34). When Holly and Jake got into the accident, only Holly survived. She felt that she could not live without him, and that life was so unfair and so unforgiving.
Jake, as well as the what-ifs, were the only thing on her mind; what if he was driving, what if he wore his seatbelt, what if we had taken the bus that day. She knew that if Jake, the better driver, was in control of the wheel, or if he had worn the seat belt like Holly pressed him to, everything would be different. If he wore the seat belt, Holly would not have to cry alone thinking about him, she would not have to have fellow students imagine she was not there, she would not have to feel as if her other half was missing. Holly wondered why she was the one to live, and why not her.
Fate saved Holly from the accident, and fate wanted her to live through the pain, so she could recover and see she was stronger than she thought. Fate wanted Holly to follow her dreams and live for the both of them. Yes, it was going to hurt her for a while, but being away from Jake would teach her how to be independent and confident and have her do what’s best for herself. Consequently, fate brought her to the edge of the cliff, but not for her to jump off it, but to have her realize that there was more to life for her, and that Holly had to live for the both of them.
There was so much for her to see and learn, and she needed to appreciate the little things; like the memories Jake and her had, and even the honeysuckle, which was a memory she would never forget. She was too blinded by her sadness and fear to realize this sooner; she simply could not see past her clouds of thoughts and emotion. Likewise, if she really loved Jake then she would live for the both of them, and forever keep him in her heart, and if Jake really loved Holly, he would have wanted her to be happy, and to live the life she was meant to live; not to end it all right then.
Fate led her here so that instead of her hiding behind Jake and doing what others tell her to do, she would be confident in herself to do what she wants. Likewise, fate does the same thing to us; it will lead us through hardships and broken hearts, but in the end it will lead you to happiness. You just have to let it do its magic. Additionally, Playing God states “The Gnome de Plume said, ‘… Fate has sent them a guardian angel once. ‘ She smiled at Josh. ‘Fate can do it again… ” (Sebestyen 24).
Josh is spiteful to those that care about him because he feels betrayed, unloved, and unwanted, which causes him to run away after he is having trouble at home with his parents and his best friend. He says he does not want to do more damage, but ultimately he ends up hurting them more when he leaves. Additionally, he does not believe it is a good idea either, but he feels like he has no other choice. However, as he is running away, he finds a box of abandoned puppies. He decides the puppies’ fate by giving them a good future instead of leaving them to struggle on their own when he gives them away to loving homes.
He goes around town trying to give them away, but ultimately ends up at the library where Laurel and the author were. The author, or the Gnome de Plume, as Josh likes to call her, believes she is too old to handle the puppies, and that she does not enough time on Earth to care for them. However, she still takes two anyways because she knows it is for a good cause, and because she knows that if she does not take one, the puppies would not have a home. Besides, if she did not help them, then who would?
Furthermore, when the author was talking about fate, she was talking about how the puppies would have never been rescued from their demise if it were not for Josh. However, Josh was also affected by fate like the puppies had been. Josh was guided by fate to make amends with his family and friends, and he was accompanied by fate again when he found the puppies. Josh’s rage and determination to run away would have been devastating to his friend, family, and himself because he is out alone with no money. Fate knew that this could not happen under any circumstance, so it ushered Josh to find the helpless pups.
On his journey on donating them to others, he is able to see that Laurel and many other do appreciate him, and that they would miss him if he was gone. Likewise, he starts seeing things from their perspective. Eventually, there was only one last puppy who was just alone and afraid. Josh kept this one and took it to a home, like it needs. When Josh is home, he confronts his dad about how he is feeling. Thankfully, they reach a meeting point were they understood each other much more, and even if they are not the closest family, Josh is still grateful he got to this point.
In the end, both of those who needed saving had a nice and warm home at the end of the day. If fate did not bring him towards the puppies, this would never happen. Furthermore, The Front of the Bus declares “When I got off from work that evening of December 1, I went to Court Square as usual to catch the Cleveland Avenue bus home. I didn’t look to see who was driving when I got on, and by the time I recognized him, I had already paid my fare. It was the same driver who had put me off the bus back in 1943, twelve years later. ” (Parks 126).
Rosa Parks was an active member of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). She attempted to refuse to stand and give her seat up in 1943, but was forced off the bus in a humiliating manner. Parks had been avoiding this driver for 12 years before running into him again. The difference is that this time, she was ready to take a stand, and she was ready to burn bus segregation, and segregation in America, down to the ground! On the night of December first, fate saw that Parks was disgusted and revolted by segregation and by how it was not llegal back then. Fate also noticed that James Blake, the distressing driver that got Parks kicked off the bus, was still driving, and realized that he was in the same area as Parks. Fate wanted those two together so they could handle this once and for all one more time, and escorted her onto the same bus as 12 years ago, even though the both of the did not know what was about to happen. Parks sat down in seats of the white section, and knew that she was not going to flee her seat no matter what happened.
When Blake called out to her to get up so a white could have her seat, she stayed planted with no intention of moving. She was not just “tired” or “old” like everyone says she was, she was just tired of giving into the power. Parks knew that this had to change, there was no way that this should go on for any longer, and it was not going to happen without a stand, and that is what people were afraid of. They were fearful or getting arrested, but just because you are scared does not mean you have to run away.
Eventually, Blake was fed up and asked her if she was going to move, and both of them knew she was not going to budge. he threatened her with the police, but she was strong and persevered. While others ran away and scattered, she stayed, even though she was more afraid than anyone else. She feared for her own life; she believed that she was going to be beaten or murdered. These were common horrors that colored people had to face at this time because of the discrimination. Still, Blake had gotten her arrested, but this wouldn’t go unnoticed.
Parks arrest spread attention throughout America, and even got the NAACP’s leader Dr. Martin King Junior’s consideration. Though this was not the end of the war of segregation and racism, Parks was able to provoke the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which was a huge advancement for equality. Fate conducted Parks for that reason. Fate knew that Parks had the power to stand for the civil rights of African Americans. What if Parks never got on this bus and just took the usual one home? What if she ran away in fear like everyone else?
What if she did not have any confidence in herself? If she had not been who she was and had not been guided by fate, people of color today would have barely any freedom, if any at all. Fate will lead you to certain outcomes. Your emotions influence your decisions. The story, TLA, states “What future could ever be complete or happy without Jake? How could I spend the rest of my life with half a heart, half a soul, and no slightly crooked smile to guide me?… I leaned over the water, trying to give myself to the whisper. “
