This morning as I waited for my take-away coffee I couldn’t help but overhear a woman say something I have never heard before.
She was about 30, sitting by herself at a table staring at her iPhone. She was doing that thing where she continually looked up at nothing and then down at her phone. Then her friend came blustering in. Her hair, handbag and umbrella all going in different directions in her rush.
“Ooh. Sorry I’m late.”
I didn’t look up from the newspaper I was flicking through as I had heard that line so many times before.
“You’re always late.”
The friend wasn’t joking. The delivery was as steely as The Sydney Harbour bridge. I looked up. This was all going in an unexpected direction.
Holly Wainwright, Jessie Stephens and I argue about the politics of lateness on this week’s episode of Mamamia Out Loud. Post continues below.
“Well, I’m really late today. Sorry.”
That”s not going to help, I thought. The late-comer seemed very busy organising herself as she sat down and that’s why she must have missed the tone in her friend’s voice, who spoke again.
“Yeah. You’re always late.”
What? The truth and no vodka in sight.
Here was someone right in front of me telling it straight to her friend. Someone who didn’t say, “That’s okay. I had to catch up on some emails anyway … YADA YADA SEETHE YADA BIG HUGE SEETHE. How are you anyway?”
Top Comments
It's interesting to think that some people are not aware of time passing in the same way. I am usually on time, but as in the article, think it's ok or even welcomed, to be slightly late when going to someone's house for an event, as I known myself how I might be tidying up etc. I think it's different when you're meeting somewhere out, as the person waiting doesn't have anything to do in that time, especially if you're meeting one on one as opposed to a group. I've been hurt by people being very late (hours) to important events and like the woman in the article, it did leave me feeling like the person didn't value me or my time.
I hate lateness, I have a coworker who walks in late by 5 minutes every shift for last 8 years. I can't get my head around it. I have even seen her sitting in the car park 10 minutes before work when I arrive. The worst thing is sometimes she apologises for it.