The seconds ticked slowly by. Time always staggered as the last half hour of the office day came to a close. Bill was accustomed to this shift in the paradigm of time, and appropriately used it for his scheduled daydreaming session.

Pondering on the family outing to follow, his mind perused over the details of this forthcoming event as he anticipated the awesome task of taking the kids down to the local ice-cream parlor.

He snuck a peek at the clock up on the wall. Five minutes had crawled by. Bill promised not to surrender to this particular bad habit of his but, as was customary, he failed yet again in his fickle attempt.

Man, was he glad it was Friday. The rough week at the office hadn�t benefited his total outlook on life in the least, and he could finally kick back and relax the weekend away � apart from his promise to the kids, who had nagged rapaciously for their ice-cream trip. He finally gave in, crumbling in the face of their incessant requests.

Joanne was home, probably getting the kids ready for their great day. �Ah, the little rascals � they deserve a little treat� he reasoned. �Ah, to be a kid again��

Bill�s daydreaming tactic worked perfectly � as it usually did. And, his trusted colleague, Rob was once again left to the task of inadvertently reminding him that it was time to go home.

�Hey Bill, you should come along with us!� barked Rob. �A couple of us guys are heading over to the Pub & Grill��

Bill first had to wipe his eyes before he fully regained his total grasp on the principle reality of the world about him. He looked up at the clock ticking away on the wall, just to confirm that time had inexplicably raced forward under the subconscious influence of his hidden mental power.

�Oh, I don�t think I can make it today, Rob�� he responded, �I�ve really got to get home��

�Oh c�mon!� insisted Rob. �Don�t be such a wet blanket��

Bill paused for a second. �Oh to hell with it...' he decided, �I've had a rough week and deserve to have a drink with the guys. One drink won't hurt...?