Follow the Rules

Tessa sat down towards the back of the bus. She’d had a long day at work, full of meetings and the never-ending feeling that her to-do list was getting longer not shorter. Meetings were so frustrating – she couldn’t get any work done during them, and she always left them with more work. She pulled out her phone, more to look busy and avoid being engaged by strangers in conversation than any real need.

As she did so, she noticed the small black book that was tucked between her seat and the one next to her. She pulled it out and looked at it, noting the smooth moleskin cover, the attractive book-mark sticking out near the front. It must have slipped out of the pocket of whoever was sat in her seat earlier. It seemed to be of excellent quality – possibly even a cherished gift.

She slipped the elastic aside, hoping for some kind of detail to allow her to identify the owner to return it. Flicking it open, she was surprised to see that many pages had been ripped out of the front, and even more surprised when she skimmed the first intact page and saw her name on it.

Surely, it was a coincidence.

She looked more closely at the page. It started with a date – 12th February. Briefly, Tessa assumed that it must be some kind of diary, but after a moment realised that that didn’t make sense – that was the current date. She read on, intrigued.

12th February

Dear Tessa,

Congratulations – you are about to be very lucky. You have come into possession of this book, and it can change your life. However, be sure to follow the rules – or it will move on to another holder.

Rule 1. At the end of every day, rip the first page from the book.

Rule 2. Never look further ahead than the current first page.

Rule 3. Don’t let anybody else read the book.

See – simple! Check each day and follow the advice given. To give you a taster, don’t bother to go on your date tonight – he isn’t turning up anyway. Go and get yourself a nice takeaway – you’ll meet somebody there who will be far better for you.

Have fun – and remember to follow the rules.

Tessa put the book down on her lap and looked straight ahead at the headrest in front of her. This must be some kind of trick? She reached to turn the page, but something stopped her. Reading that first page again, she noted the dozens of pages that had clearly already been ripped out. A third time. What if it wasn’t?

Tessa closed the book and placed it in her handbag. Why not? She wasn’t particularly invested in tonight’s date – it was worth seeing if this was, somehow, for real.

The hardest part of following the advice was deciding what kind of takeaway to get. Surely, only one of the options would have the person she was supposed to meet, but which one? The book didn’t provide any guidance. Eventually, Tessa decided that it probably didn’t matter. If this was real, then she should simply go with her instinct. If not, it didn’t really matter. There hadn’t been any reply to her message to cancel the date, so Tessa was tentatively hopeful.

In the end, Tessa just left the flat and walked, waiting to see what caught her attention as she passed. She dressed better than the takeaway warranted, , selecting her newer jeans and a top that some friends had said particularly suited her, even spending time on makeup.

Walking the street, she took in the various cooking smells, and eventually went into the Maharajah, a family-owned favourite. She knew all the staff in tonight, so presumably there weren’t going to be any surprises there. Food would apparently take about ten minutes, and she sat down to wait, picking up a magazine to try and pass the time. She was strangely nervous, and at the end of the page, she realised she had no idea what she’d read. Tessa kept touching the little book in her pocket, as if its presence made her less crazy, not more. She only noticed the next customer come in after her – another woman who looked a little younger than herself, with a dark pixie cut.

As the woman placed her order, Tessa smiled; it was exactly the same as her own. Could this be the person the book had said she would meet? As the other woman sat down, Tessa lowered her magazine and smiled at her. The other woman smiled back.

“You know,” said Tessa, holding eye contact and keeping her smile, “your order is exactly the same as mine.”

The other woman cocked her head and laughed. “Wow,” she said. “What a coincidence.” She had a lovely laugh – the kind that made you want to laugh along too.

“Are you in a hurry to get home?” Tessa asked, the book making her feel far bolder than normal.

The woman shrugged. “I guess not. Why?”

“Well, we’re both alone. I don’t know about you, but I’m here because I was stood up on a date. We could ask them to bring our meals to the restaurant, rather than to take away? I’m Tessa, by the way.” She reached out a hand to shake.

The woman across from her widened her eyes for a moment, and then laughed again. “Why not.” She reached out her own hand to shake Tessa’s. “I’m Maggie.”

Tessa woke up and smiled when she saw Maggie still sleeping next to her. A part of her couldn’t believe what had happened – she wasn’t usually like this! But they really had connected over dinner, and then one thing had led to another, and ... She reached for the book on her nightstand, left there when she’d ripped the first page from it the night before, after Maggie had fallen asleep. She flicked to the new first page, excited to see what it might say.

13th February

Dear Tessa,

Hope you had a good evening. Today, you should place a bet. Southern Belle is 40:1 but will win. Put some money down.

That was it – she closed the book again, and sidled out of bed, not wanting to disturb Maggie. She went downstairs to make coffee.

Should she do this? Tessa had never gambled in her life – her parents had always drilled into her that she should only risk what she could afford to lose, and she’d never felt financially secure enough. And on a horse? Something she had absolutely no influence over?

The book had been right about the previous evening. She’d never received any message from the abortive date, so it seemed that they hadn’t turned up. She’d met Maggie. Coincidence? She wanted to look ahead and see what other advice was coming, but she stopped herself. That would be against the rules, and she didn’t want to risk that yet. A part of her wanted to laugh at the absurdity, but then Maggie walked into the kitchen, stretching. Her short hair was messy, and she’d only pulled on her shirt from the previous night. Tessa smiled at her and nodded towards the coffee pot. Maggie smiled back, walked over and kissed her, and then went to pour herself some coffee. The two of them sat, silently, just watching each other, as they finished their drinks. Tessa found herself hoping there would be more mornings like this.

“That’s better,” said Maggie, sighing as she put her cup down. “Any plans for today?”

“I’m just trying to decide,” Tessa replied, looking through the fridge to find something to make for breakfast. “I’ve been given what might be a hot tip on a racehorse, but I’ve never gambled before. I’m not sure if I want to risk it.”

“What are the odds?” Maggie perched herself on a chair, waiting for Tessa to finish in the fridge.

“40 to 1.”

Maggie whistled. “Long odds, but a good pay off if it comes in. Your source thinks it’s a winner?”

Tessa nodded. “I don’t know though. It’s still a big risk.” She shrugged, and moved the conversation on to something hopefully more certain. “Dinner tonight?”

Tessa was in the middle of cooking dinner when she had to pause to let Maggie in. Maggie was smiling and bouncy, giving Tessa a quick kiss as she entered.

“Smells delicious!” Maggie said as she took her coat off and hung it over a chair.

“You seem happy,” Tessa asked, following the other woman back towards the kitchen.

“Why wouldn’t I be? Another excellent dinner that I haven’t had to cook. Another evening with you. What’s not to like?”

Tessa looked at her closely. Her smile went up at one side, and her eyes sparkled. There was something else. “Out with it,” she said.

Maggie reached into the pocket of the coat she’d removed and handed an envelope to Tessa. “Open it,” she said, in response to Tessa’s querying look.

Tessa did so and found it full of money. “What’s this?” Tessa asked, still confused and being careful not to show any reaction until she knew more. She wasn’t sure how she should feel about her new possibly-girlfriend-but-they-hadn’t-talked-about-it-yet giving her what looked like thousands of dollars.

Maggie clearly didn’t feel it was inappropriate at all as her grin became ever bigger. “I placed that bet that we were talking about this morning. You know – on Southern Belle. And she won. That’s half the winnings. I’ve got the other half. Seemed fair – I put my money on it, but it was your tip.”

Tessa’s eyes widened and she started flicking through the money. “How much did you put down? There’s thousands in here!”

Maggie walked over and took Tessa’s arms in her hands, making the other woman look up at her rather than down at the money. “There’s 20,000 in there, and I’ve got the same.”

“I can’t believe it,” said Tessa. “Why did you do it – and with so much money?”

Maggie kissed her. When she had drawn back, she said, “Well, after last night I thought you were probably quite lucky, and I was definitely feeling lucky, so I just went for it. If you get any other tips, you be sure to let me know.”

After that, Tessa didn’t doubt the book. Every night she was careful to rip out the first page, waiting until Maggie was in the bathroom if she was staying over, which became more and more frequent. Tessa was always the earlier riser, and so checked her daily piece of advice every morning over her first coffee.

The book changed her life. Every day, that little piece of advice made things that bit better than they had been in the morning. There were trains to avoid because of delays, lottery wins (none so big that they would arouse too much attention), and recommendations for jobs to apply for. Between the windfalls of money and better-paying jobs, she was able to live a life of luxury. It even provided advice for her ongoing relationship with Maggie – and every page was good advice.

And she was always careful to follow the rules.

It was a day much like any other. Tessa woke, smiled at Maggie who slept beside her, and went downstairs to check the book and make coffee. Her hand slipped, and the book fell to the floor. She reached down to pick it up again and, without meaning to, read the entry. It wasn’t the right day. She turned it back to the front page to read her advice. It didn’t give any; instead it read

16th July

Dear Tessa

All good things must come to an end.

She kept it with her all day, terrified of what might happen, touching her pocket constantly. But by the time she returned home, it was gone.