A random number for family indecision

We were all just sitting there, scrolling on our phones. The takeout menus were open, but no one was saying anything. It was that familiar, quiet stalemate where thinking feels like too much work.

The quiet before the spin

My thumb was just moving up and down the same screen. Pizza, then noodles, then back to pizza. I could hear my sister sighing from the other couch, probably doing the exact same thing. It wasn't about the food, really. It was about not wanting to be the one to decide.Someone had to break the loop. I remember thinking, just pick something, anything. But the weight of choosing for everyone felt heavier than it should have. So I didn't choose.

Letting something else decide

I opened the random number generator instead. It felt like a small act of surrender, in a good way. I wasn't giving up; I was just passing the baton. I told everyone I was assigning numbers to our top three options.There was a collective, almost palpable sense of relief in the room. The pressure lifted. We weren't arguing or persuading anymore. We were just waiting to see what the little digital dice would say.

The number that appeared

It was a two. We all looked at the list. Option two was the Thai place we all secretly wanted but were too polite to insist on.

The quiet agreement

No one questioned it. My brother just said, "Okay, pad thai," and reached for his wallet. The decision was made, and it felt fair. It felt separate from all of our tired opinions.

After the choice was made

The funny thing is, the food was almost secondary. The better part was the silence that followed, which wasn't tense anymore. It was just quiet. We went back to our scrolling, but it was different. It was just passing the time until the doorbell rang.I think we all needed permission to not have an opinion for a second. The random number gave us that. It wasn't about finding the perfect choice. It was about ending the cycle of scrolling, of weighing, of silently hoping someone else would call it.