Early that morning, Grace wished Ben a good day, slipped an umbrella into his briefcase just in case the British weather decided to join in, and handed him a large flask of tea for the journey. They chatted on the phone later and she asked what he fancied for dinnereverything seemed perfectly in order. But come evening, he trudged in looking decidedly out of sorts.
Im absolutely knackered, Ben moaned, rubbing his forehead and glancing at his wife bustling about the kitchen, while the kids sat at the table, spooning mashed potatoes onto their plates.
Its only Thursday, love. One more day and its the weekend, Grace said, trying to sound as cheery as possible.
Its not work thats tiring me out, Ben sighed dramatically. Guess why the boss summoned me to his office today?
Grace hadnt known about any summons, but if the boss himself called him up, it couldnt have been for a chat about the weather.
No idea, she replied warily. Lets thinkwhat did we talk about last night? Something about the weekend trip? Are you drowning in work and well have to put it off?
Well, that too. But thats not the thing, Ben said. Did one of your workmates get promoted, and you got a telling-off instead?
Ben snorted.
No, he declared, relishing every word, last night you said, If anyone deserves a promotion in your department, its you. And you were bang on. The boss called me in today to offer me a promotion. Ill need to head in on a couple of Saturdays to get the hang of things, but the weekend pay is double time200%! Not too shabby, eh?
He burst out laughing, got up to plant a kiss on each childs cheek, and pulled his wife in for a hug.
Did I give you a fright? I was only having you on, love.
At last, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
You did have me worried! Grace admitted with a giggle. I thought you were going to blame me for something. Turns out I just accidentally predicted your future.
And what a future! Ben grinned, unable to hide his delight.
