Ready for the RACE

Margaret's husband had no idea she was making a run for it

- Susan Hayward

Have you seen my lucky T-shirt?' Gerry asked anxiously. 'I need to get my race number pinned on.'

Margaret went to retrieve the T-shirt from Gerry's wardrobe, stopping to collect four safety pins from her sewing basket. Gerry always got a little anxious before a race, but he said that the adrenaline rush improved his performance. Now he was pacing up and down the lounge in his shorts and trainers, stopping occasionally to stretch his calf muscles.

'I might be able to do a sub-50 this time,' he said. 'Should do. I've put in enough training.' Margaret really hoped he would achieve his goal, but less than 50 minutes was a pretty fast time to run six miles, especially when you were approaching your mid-60s. She persuaded him to stand still so she could pin the number on to the front of his blue T-shirt.

He looked down, studying it critically. 'It's not straight, Mags. Could you position it more centrally?'

Margaret had another go. She was hoping he would be satisfied with his appearance soon. She had things she needed to get on with.