Two Weeks in August

In Short

Frank M. Robinson’s short story is a lighthearted tale set in the mundane world of an ordinary office. When the narrator invents a lavish trip to Mars to stop his irritating colleague, McCleary, from bragging about his summer plans, the prank takes an unexpected turn. Driven by his obsessive need to keep up, McCleary actually finds a local agency and takes his family on a vacation to the red planet. Combining suburban envy, office banter, and mid-century space-age wonder, this persistent favorite reveals that extraordinary adventures sometimes hide behind the most ordinary routines.

The Story

The story opens in a cramped, stifling office in late July, where the narrator works alongside a notoriously unbearable coworker named McCleary. McCleary is the kind of man who must outdo everyone on every subject—whether it is his son's brilliance, his car's gas mileage, or his summer travel plans. Knowing that his own summer vacation will be spent trapped at home watering his begonias because his savings went to medical bills, the narrator dreads listening to McCleary bragging about his upcoming trip.

During a lunch break, as his colleagues Donley and Young discuss their ordinary getaway plans to the Ozarks and Wisconsin, the narrator decides to play a practical joke. He loudly announces that he and his wife are taking a trip to Mars, complete with cheap roomette tickets on a luxury rocket ship, stays at Marsport, and rides down the Grand Canal. Playing along, Donley and Young join the improvs, inventing details about Martian flying fish and local entertainment to tease McCleary, who is listening intently.

When McCleary voices doubt, citing government rocket developments and a lack of advertising, the narrator dismisses him with pseudo-logic, insisting that private enterprise is far ahead of the government and suggesting that local agencies are easily found in the phone directory.

Two weeks later, the office staff returns from their August vacations, tired and ready to resume work. Expecting to hear about a predictable trip to the mountains or the coast, the narrator asks McCleary where he spent his time off. To everyone's astonishment, McCleary calmly replies that he went to Mars. Assuming it is a return joke, the narrator laughs it off until McCleary presents tangible evidence: genuine-looking transit tickets, kodachrome slides showing him riding alien beasts against pink sand dunes and crystal towers, and a desk full of mass-produced souvenirs stamped "Souvenir of Mars."

McCleary explains that he followed the narrator's advice, found a modest downtown agency, and booked the trip, though he gently corrects the narrator on the ship names and city geography. Realizing that the fake vacation agency actually exists, the narrator changes his perspective on McCleary and begins booking his own regular, breathtaking August getaways to the Martian dunes.

How It Unfolds

An annoying presence The narrator describes the insufferable nature of his coworker, McCleary, a man who habitually outdoes every story told by those around him. The prospect of hearing about McCleary's summer trip drives the narrator to devise a plan.

A lunchroom trick Facing two weeks at home due to depleted savings, the narrator invents a grand, fictional trip to Mars during a lunch break conversation with colleagues. Donley and Young enthusiastically join the joke, describing absurd sights and experiences while McCleary listens in suspicion.

Debating the details When McCleary challenges the possibility of space travel, the narrator uses absurd corporate logic to convince him that private industry has quietly outpaced the government. He casually hints that small, obscure agencies in the city offer cheap planetary travel packages.

The evidence presented After vacation, McCleary returns and insists he spent his break on Mars. He produces printed passage tickets, beautiful color slides of crystal cities, and mass-produced souvenirs, proving that the secret agency was real all along.

A new perspective Recognizing his coworker's unexpected success, the narrator shifts his view of McCleary and adopts the routine himself. He ends the tale by regularly spending his August breaks among the red sands and crystal parapets of Mars.

The People

• The Narrator (Bill): An ordinary office worker frustrated by his tight budget and his annoying colleague. What starts as a sarcastic attempt to protect his pride transforms his entire worldview, leading him to embrace the very magical getaways he once faked.
• E. C. McCleary: The office's resident blowhard who insists on topping every story his coworkers share. Driven by an intense desire to maintain his social standing, his literal-minded persistence allows him to discover a genuine interplanetary travel agency that everyone else assumed was impossible.
• Donley and Bob Young: Fellow office clerks who act as the narrator's audience and co-conspirators. They readily assist in spinning the elaborate yarn about Martian travel to fool McCleary during their lunch break.

In Its Own Voice

"You could pack the wife and kids in Old Reliable and roll out to the lake for your two weeks in August."

The narrator sets the relatable, mid-century backdrop of everyday working-class family life and suburban vacation routines.

"My vacation is really going to be out of the world this time... Me and the wife are going to Mars."

The sarcastic lie that sets the plot in motion, spoken purely to deflate McCleary's vanity.

"He looked hurt and got some things out of his desk--a sateen pillow with scenes like those on his snapshots, an urn filled with pink sand..."

The physical proof that turns a lunchroom hoax into an undeniable reality.

What It's Really About

Underneath its playful narrative, the story explores the petty rivalries and quiet anxieties of middle-class office life. It satirizes human vanity—specifically the impulse to outdo one's peers—while pointing out how skepticism can blind people to extraordinary possibilities right in front of them. The narrative suggests that wonderful, world-changing secrets might exist just under the surface of daily life, accessible to anyone gullible or open-minded enough to look for them.

Why Read It Today

This story appeals to fans of classic mid-century science fiction, workplace humor, and clever twist endings. It reads quickly with a light, conversational tone that captures the retro charm of 1950s magazine fiction.

While modern readers will easily spot period attitudes—such as traditional gender roles and vintage slang—these features ground the story in a specific cultural moment without slowing its swift, entertaining pace. What stays with the reader is its warm, ironic humor and the delightful idea that the cure for life's dreary routines might be hidden right downtown in the telephone book.

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