Divergence

Have you ever wondered what could've been if you did this or did that? Well, every time we come to a decision, whether it is conscious or subconscious, we create two new universes out of the primary one. There is an infinite number of universes to cater for every possible development in our lives.

One may become a doctor, just like he swore to be one when he was a child. That is a deep kind of divergence, one that comes from the early years of living, but what about an adult, what kind of divergence an everyday adult may have?

Well, there was a dude who decided to show a UFC trick with his drunk buddy right on the streets. The result - cervical fracture - or in other words, a dead amateur UFC fighter. What kind of shallow divergence that dude had? Maybe there is a universe where he rethought his decision to go through with the trick, but his drunk buddy still insisted, and it all again resulted in death. Or maybe he rethought his decision and his buddy got a little more sober as well, so they just chilled the f*ck out? There is definitely such a development, remember - infinite universes, infinite possibilities.

What about a Macedonian guy who wanted to do a selfie on top of the hill, while ignoring the fact that there were absolutely no safety rails? The result - meat paste - or in other words, a worthless Macedonian meat paste. What divergent path he had in other Universes? Maybe he thought that just doing a selfie wouldn't be cool enough, so he brought a go-pro and did a backflip while filming his fatal descent. Or maybe, just maybe, he would get his shit together, enlist in a local political party, and then become a representative of Macedonia in EU committee. Who knows, right?

Even worse, there might be universes where Donald Trump becomes a president. Oh wait, he did already. I just now came to realize that I'm living in one of the worst universes there is.

But before Trump became a president in some universes, there was a timeline that supported an interesting divergence. One that we, as observers, will become part of.

It happened on January 3, 2009.

Navruz Adamov had a hard time deciding whether to buy cheese sulguni or cheese kurt for the cheap beer. A proper snack was a deciding factor between having a good time and having a smashing good time. There was a big difference, believe me. Navruz chose the most optimal solution - just buy both what the hell. There were other default snacks as well, like Lays-Shmays and whatnot. He wasn't a solo drinker, so he was obviously waiting for a guest.

Though he wasn't waiting for a girl, he still decided to look at the mirror to check on himself. In the mirror was reflected a young man with short dark brown hair that gave off the feeling of gentleness. It was one of those kinds of hair that could make anyone inadvertently try to ruffle it. His facial features were a bit uncommon for a person from Central Asia, as his jawlines and chin were a bit too sharp for the usually round-faced citizens of Uzbekistan.

Though, overall Navruz might come off as aloof because of his face, and it didn't help that he was quite tall, being around 190 cm, and yes, many people around had the impression that he was always looking down on them, but in fact, those who were really familiar with him knew just by looking at his sable eyes that elicited warmth, that he was no prick. He was actually a caring person.... well, he had his own way of caring about others, and he was definitely more friendly than the initial impression might suggest.

All in all, like for any human being, don't judge a toilet paper by its texture... wait, my editor says that I should use "don't judge a book by its cover" instead, but I have never heard of such expression... well, alright then, I trust my editor. So, anyway, don't judge a book by its cover. Though the cover for our Navruz wasn't any fancy staff, the content was sure worth any infinity stone and other such McGuffins.

While Navruz was in a fit of narcissism, wondering how the universe could produce S+ material such as himself (honestly, he was barely A-), the knocking sounds rung out close to his right ear. He turned towards the source, then stepped up to see whether it was the dude he was waiting for or the usual Russian aunt who comes to collect information about utility once in two months. Yes, it was the dude.

After Navruz opened the door, he beheld the sight of a young man of his age, even taller than him, but in a lanky kind of way. The seemingly casual clothing on that person somehow carried the aura of solemnity solely because of how the young bore and styled himself. Despite the guest's calmness, his cheeks were ruddy as if he was excited, but that wasn't really the case. It was just his peculiarity ever since he was born. While Navruz had short and straight hair, it was diametrically opposite for the young man, as he was a proud owner of a bushy hairdo. The only redeeming feature about that bush was that it was of softer wheat color. Basically, that guy was a more appropriate, or lets say, porkable version of Napoleon Dynamite.

"Hi dude!", instead of saying his name, which was Maxim, or Max, our Navruz straight up called everyone dude or dudy. Yes, he was a zealot of Dudaism church, Google it, it is real. Our Navruz, as a proud cinephile, was heavily influenced by the 7th art - it is moviemaking, you dumbass.

"Hello Navruz", replied Maxim, with proper manners. This simple greeting perfectly illustrated the contrast between those two, yet despite the shown difference, they clicked well with each other. The thing about opposites attracting each other was bullshit. Maybe they really had something in common, but it was just not apparent on the surface. Who knows... well, they definitely didn't know for sure, because friendship was something that you didn't want to delve in too much details, as it would spoil the fun. Maybe they respected each other for their smarts, or the way they lived their lives, or maybe they were into collecting Pokemon and playing gacha games, or maybe, just maybe, they both find the smell of a freshly lit match fascinating. I will probably confide in the latter.

"Did you bring anything?" Navruz wished that Max had brought some lavish snacks, and of course, at least some decent beer.

"Well, I brought this..." After Navruz opened the door even wider, he could finally see the ultimate treasure of the universe - the keg of premium Czech beer. Yes, his wishes were granted. Heck, they were even exceeded. Just this keg alone was twice as much Navruz' monthly allowance, and that was including bills and staff.

Forget about having something in common, Navruz was definitely in for Max' money. Such a sugar da... wait, no.... such a sugar friend was for sure a rare catch. But to be honest, they really loved spending time together. Navruz could always go on ranting about his passion with wild swings of his arms, while Max would just sit aside, bemused at his friend. The level of self-education the two dudes had, allowed them to touch upon any topics and discuss it both shallow and in-depth. They both appeared silent, but while Navruz may choose to stay silent, most of the time, because it was too bothersome to give a long reply or initiate a conversation, Maxim on the other hand was just a genuinely tranquil person, he was a confident introvert kind of guy.

"Dude, you are the unsung hero of the drink-till-break order. I have an honor to be your host" as always with his exaggerated gestures and some random nonsense, he ushered Max - the dude. Actually, Navruz didn't behave like this in front of strangers, only people close to him could summon Navruz version 2.71828. Most of the time, Navruz bore himself just like Max, with dignity and air of tranquility.

"Oh thee shall not die of thirst, while beloved Czech people walk on this earth. Bless us mortals." said Max, lifting up the holy keg. After all, people always influence each other, especially family, lovers and friends. Max also learned some of the bullshitting ways of Navruz, though not as on point as the latter, but he still tried, and he even had some moderate success like in this instance. To bullshit is to be creative and original, that was what Max noted to himself when he saw Navruz always be the center of attention.

When people look up to you, you will experience a pressure that will push you to achieve the same success or be even better than that. That is why a good joke told during the elementary school is a big divergence point. No one really knows how to joke at that age, and once one accidentally stumbled upon the humor bone, his peers will pressure him to come up with something of the same level. This peer pressure will mold a person's character as everyone wants to be liked, so this way, that person will start learning how to joke and be a company guy.

Our Navruz wasn't outspoken all the times because he missed that crucial development phase. He was way behind the learning curve, so his character became somewhat introverted. But he was lucky that after he entered high school, there was a joke vacuum that needed to be filled, and surprise, our much learned in other aspects Navruz accidentally told a joke, and his class was in uproar with laughter, and that was during the lesson. The teacher was absolutely infuriated, but it didn't bother Navruz because he for the first time tasted the joy of a successful joke. It didn't end just like this. No, he went on a rampage, and all his classmates looked up to him. He never was a butt of the joke, instead, he was a buttcracker of it.

So that is how a person can develop, it is all nurture guys, it is all nurture!