Looking for UNICORNS

There was so much more to life than work, but would Matt realise before it was too late?

- Catherine Howard

Sam stopped excitedly at the row of brightly coloured unicorn toys. ‘Can I have one, Daddy? Unicorns are magic.’

Matt patted his son’s blond curls. ‘We’ll get it on the way out, or I’ll have to carry it all day.’

Taking Sam to the zoo was Emma’s idea.

‘Sam’s been learning about animals at school. I could take him, but he needs to spend time with his father.’

Matt knew she was making a point. The week before, he’d missed parents’ evening. Since his new boss took over, all he seemed to have time for was work. He’d missed so much lately, even sports day.

Normally, Emma forgave him and understood the demands of the job, but this time, she’d finally had enough.

‘You need to decide what matters to you – your wife and son, or your job,’ she’d said firmly.

It had sounded like an ultimatum, so when she asked him to take Sam to the zoo, he didn’t hesitate.

As they walked into the zoo, Matt’s phone bleeped for the umpteenth time. Until then, he’d managed to ignore it, but he hadn’t checked his messages in an hour.

He pointed across at the aviary. ‘We’ll head there first. I need to spend a few minutes checking my phone.’

Inside the aviary, it was noisy, but there were seats and a strong signal. ‘Look at the birds, but don’t wander off,’ he told Sam. ‘I won’t be long.’

‘Promise?’ Sam asked.

‘Promise,’ Matt replied.