fortuitous event

Fortuitous event - an event which cannot be foresen, although foreseen is inevitable (Article 1174, New Civil Code of the Phlippines)

The clock reads 4:20. It was a warm, humid Thursday afternoon and I am rushing for the first meeting in my Torts and Damages class at 4:30. I went up the second floor of Claro M. Recto building to check my room assignment.

"104. Ok, downstairs."

Then I saw a notice which contained my course title, professor's name and ASSIGNMENT: first page of the outline. At the lower right side portion was the date of the immediately preceding day written in blue ink.

"Whew! He is not coming to class!" I went to the Dean's office and asked for the attendance sheet, when the clerk said: "Andito si sir."

Whhhaattt!

Does that mean that assignment is for today's class? On the first meeting?! My head began to panic. My clock reads: 4:25. How could that be? Did I miss that notice last night? I was here for my International Law class and I was sure I wasn't able to see that bill. I have no time to argue with the Dean's office. So, I rushed to my assigned classroom and asked my classmates about the outline. Most of them said they just learned about it only on the same day. And in a split of second, a tall, buffy guy in white polo shirt entered the room. He's here!

He took his place on the platform and started calling the roll. Lucky for me, my seatmate is nice to lend me her photocopy of the outline. While waiting for my turn to be called, as he still asks personal details (perhaps to get to associate us with certain facts), I was reading through the paper in front of me and remembers as much as my brain can.

Then we saw him held the outline. Anxiety started to spread among us. "Sh*t! His up for recitation!" A few of my classmates were called, most sat down with no answers to my professor's query.

To cut the long story short, I was called for recitation. Waahhhh!

Part of law school's training is recitation. No law school is without it. It's the Socratic approach of learning where the professor asks pertinent (sometimes impertinent) questions to check what the student knows and to train them think on their toes.

This is something I missed for the past almost 2 years, but to be caught unprepared is a different story altogether.

I was standing there for almost 10 minutes, trying to gather my thoughts, compose my self, deliver my answers to the professor and wishing he'd ask me questions with which I have answers. The first few minutes or so was manageable. I have answers to his questions which I suppose are correct as he picks up the discussions from there. I can feel his excitement thinking I studied. My head is screaming: "No, sir, you are getting the wrong impression here. I do not know anything."

There is a rule we law students adhere during recitations: Less talk, less mistakes. But in this case, I cannot. If I do not talk I won't get a grade. Then, he asked me to discuss a case which I can only relatively remember from my previous subjects. It's about a driver of an automobile hitting a pony causing the rider to be thrown away, thus entitling him for damages. But I was mixing the facts of the case. God, I am incriminating my self.

"Miss De Chavez, did you read the case?"

"Previously, sir."

"Previously. Hmn...How about recently?"

"No, sir". My mind is screaming: "How could I?! I just saw this freaking outline just as you came in this freaking classroom!"

I can exercise my right to be heard (which I did when he asked why). But in law school recits, there is no such thing as a valid excuse. They are all the same bananas--EXCUSES. Dura lex sed lex. The law may be harsh but it is still the law. In law school, no one is invincible.

Just when you least expect it. Murphy's law perhaps. What a luck (or badluck)! Whatever you call it. I hope I got an equitable mark for that very embarassing moment. Nothing to rant about really, been through this several times. But I guess, I have to get the hang of it again. My fortuitous event for my first semester as of my return to law school.

I hope that never happens again. Sigh.