I rented a flat with the unlucky number 13: Here’s what happened

By Alex Monaco November 4, 2021

Last month I booked an apartment in Menton. Upon arrival, I noticed that my rented flat is numbered 13.

I thought, “Ugh, devildom… The unfortunate number has fallen. What if I have problems because of it?”

Nonetheless, I entered the building. It was dark inside. I barely found the switch. I made a mistake—I decided to take a shower… I turned on the water…

Suddenly, red water began to flow. I got scared. As I jumped out of the cabin, I heard the doorbell. Maybe a neighbor has red water too? I was naked, so I grabbed a towel. I wrapped a towel around my waist, tried to open the door, but it slammed shut! What nonsense? Suddenly I smelled something burning. I remembered putting the water to boil but forgot to turn it off! I had to break the door… The next day I was in a swamp of failures. The toilet broke, the computer did too, and I somehow broke my leg. I’m kidding. Nothing bad happened. However, many people still believe that the number 13 causes failures. As a result, airlines like AirTran decline this THREATENING number. For the 13th row, they put the number 14.

When one of the journalists asked the airline what was going on, they received the following reply, “A lot of folks have a fear of flying or a fear of not being in control when they’re flying. For them, sitting in row 13 could just add insult to injury, so they removed the number 13 to offset any seating problems they may encounter from passengers who refuse to sit there.”

But let’s think soberly whether the number change in the airplane row changes something? If you count rows, one after another, the 13th row will still be the 13th row, even if it’s marked with the number 14. If you put the label “mandarin” on top of an apple, it won’t turn the apple into a mandarin, right?

In other words, the number thirteen can’t be avoided. For example, you might be the thirteenth passenger to board the plane. Whether or not you sit in the thirteenth row—you will still be the thirteenth person to board this flying object.

Or you could be the thirteenth person a flight attendant proposes to fasten your seat belt. Or you can look to the right 13 times… In addition, many planes will take off today from Nice airport, and one of them will take off on the 13th… Will it crash? And what to do for a poor plane when it flies 13 kilometers or miles? What if a flight attendant’s wallet contains 13 euros and 13 cents?

Oh yes, it’s impossible to hide from the number 13, as with all other numbers, even if they are lucky.

Or maybe I’m wrong?

Yes, sometimes I’m wrong, but not in this case.

Imagine a man named Bob. He believes in the power of numbers. Therefore, he tries to distance himself from everything related to the number 13. When he gets up in the morning, he decides to brush his teeth. There are about 13 steps to the bathroom… After ordering an Uber, he gets a driver with the number 13 tattooed on his ass. But Bob doesn’t know it, so he rides calmly. In addition, his Uber driver listens to a new hit, “Cold Heart.” Bob really likes this song, but he doesn’t know that this song is in the 13th position on the chart. If he knew, he would have asked to switch the radio! But he doesn’t know, and he feels good. Because no one tells him that he is surrounded by the unfortunate number.

While listening to music, he opens his phone. In Google, he finds a new Alex Monaco article called “I rented a flat with the unlucky number 13: Here’s what happened.” After reading the beginning, he is terrified of the fact that he performs many activities that are repeated thirteen times. He decides to plan a perfect life to have as few 13 times as possible.

When he finds a loved one, he kisses her for the first, second, and 12th time. But for the thirteenth time, he refuses to kiss. And he never kisses her again, because the thirteenth kiss will ruin everything…

Eh…

That’s not all…

I certainly wouldn’t go into this topic, but believing in different numbers diminishes the value of society and causes mountains of complication.

Let me give you an example. On his birthday, Bob receives a gift—a ticket to London. When he gets on the plane, he realizes that he doesn’t want to sit in the 14th row because it’s only marked with the number 14, which is actually the 13th. He asks those around him in a trembling voice, “Who would like to switch places with me.”

The woman sitting in the 12th row agrees to save Bob. So the woman sits in his seat, and Bob sits in the 12th. So, what do we have here? Bob doesn’t care what happens to that woman—he only cares about his success!!! “I will save my ass, and others can die.” But Bob is not alone. There are thousands like him. And I’m sorry to say this, but they are acting selfishly in trying to avoid the fatal number.

The more people worry about irrelevant things, the weirder our society will be, which is kind of weird anyway.

Imagine what it would be like if over 70% of people believed such nonsense.

The founder of a company would bring all of his company’s shareholders together in one pile, “Our company has generated billions in the last 12 years, but this year will be the 13th year, so I decided to shut down the company. So you guys are okay, but I’m firing you all! It means I don’t give a f*ck about you!”

A waitress working in a cafe would say, “Unfortunately, we can’t make your coffee, because today 12 people have bought a cup—you would be 13. We take care of our customers, so you don’t get coffee. Order a cup of tea!!!”

Or imagine an airline manager saying, “We don’t accept pilots with 13 years of experience! Who do you think we are, idiots? After all, if we hire them—it will become a disaster; after all, research shows that all pilots with 13 years of experience crashed their planes! Let pilots with 13 years of experience look for a job at McDonald’s!”

“Alex, it won’t be like that. You’re kidding here!” a reader will say. Oh yes, I’m kidding, but I have to point out that the more people believe in numbers and destiny, the more fortune-tellers, bigots have an impact on society.

By the way, I must note that modern culture is heavily influenced by bigots and fortune-tellers, and supporters of unfortunate numbers. Don’t you believe it? So why are there so many apps that help you decide with whom to communicate?

Once I got acquainted with two girls. They suggested that I invest in their business idea/project. Although the business project seemed convincing (with a future), I declined to invest. Because I had my own projects. But I offered to help. I said that I would introduce them to two of my friends who are investing in similar projects. The girls were delighted, but a few minutes later, one of them said, “Alex, your suggestion is good, but can I ask about your date of birth?”

After I shared the information, she pulled out her cell phone and started doing something on it.

Moments later, she said, “I have an app that shows which people I can work with and which I can’t. I can see that we are not meant to cooperate.”

These words shocked me. After all, I didn’t even offer to invest! And if I gave a different date of birth—would I fit? For heaven’s sake, I only offered to get acquainted with investors, and I was rejected!!! Oh no, not only this! But it was to my advantage as I no longer had to convince my friends (investors) to devote their time to these girls.

Interesting is that these girls did nothing good. Their project failed even though they had a super-app instructing them what to do, with whom to interact! It’s another proof that apps are not working.

“But this app is probably made by amateurs, and here I have an app that works well and predicts the future perfectly! It just requires you to enter your date of birth!” someone will say. I wonder how much such an app costs you?

Since I don’t pay for such apps and don’t delve into the astronomical meaning of numbers, I have more time to invest in important things, so I’m lucky!

Oh yes, it takes effort to be successful, not information from outer space!

Same thing with relationships. Those who want to build a long-term relationship should not deal with numbers but with wise and conscious actions.

But let’s look at it from a different perspective. Suppose the unfortunate numbers (and the fortune-telling from the stars) do have a powerful impact. However, our quality of life depends not on how we fail but on how we respond to failure. If we take failures as lessons, what’s the difference—do numbers really make an impact or not?

Therefore, I suggest you remember the following phrase: Better to have a bad fate but strong mindset than to have a good fate but be a person who can’t control emotions.