WEATHER APP

“The one day,” Fiona said to her husband Mike, “the one day that we all get off together in a blue moon and it’s going to tip down with rain.  What are we going to do with the kids?  They’re going to drive us crazy.”

“Jungle gym,” Mike suggested.
“Look at it though!”  Fiona gestured to the television.  The weatherman was making wide gestures at swirling vortexes of narrow isobars.  Big blue clouds of rain covered their region, the numbers on the wind arrows were at gale force.  “They’re saying not to travel unless absolutely necessary.  The boys are going to be so disappointed.”
“I hate this country,” Mike grunted.
 

The next day Fiona woke and picked up her smart phone, a big cloud with rain pouring from it greeted her on her home screen, she groaned, not bothering to pull the curtains.  Down in the living room she turned on the TV, there was a weather girl lamenting to the newscasters, apologising for not having a better forecast for the bank holiday.

The boys came racing down the stairs, Kieran was carrying a football.
“Mum!  Can we go on the green before breakfast?” he asked.
Ben was wearing his father’s long grey coat over his tracksuit; “I’m Mourinho,” he said, “I’m going to be manager.”  He pressed his mouth into a thin line, hands on hips and stared intensely at her in parody.
Fiona’s heart sank, they were so sweet, poor darlings and they were going to be cooped up all day; “I’m sorry boys, but the weather is awful, you have to stay in.”
“What?”
“No way!”
“I’ll make breakfast!” she said with a brightness she didn’t feel.
Mike trudged down the stairs.  “It’s going to rain all day,” he said, showing her the weather app on his tablet.
Time wore on, across the country parents checked their weather apps and cursed, children played indoors and became sulky and restless.  Ben and Kieran sat with their father in the living room and watched re-runs of Match of the Day.

Houses with their curtains drawn surrounded the green where starlings searched for worms.  The sun warmed the tarmac of the road and caused the grass to glitter.  Across town the playing field stretched empty under a bright blue sky.  Down on the coast gulls rode the light breeze over a sparkling blue sea and gentle waves lapped the deserted sun drenched beach.

The next day Mike drove Fiona to work.  He dropped her in the usual place and watched her run to catch up with a colleague.  He caught a snatch of their conversation through his open window as he drove past; “Wasn’t the weather terrible yesterday?”

“Absolutely dreadful.  Didn’t go outside at all.”