Late, Later, …

I was late, my fault, no doubt about it.

I’d said I’d be there at nine, and arrived at the car rental at 7:30 as planned. I figured half-an-hour for paperwork, and a quiet coffee at the other end, and an hour’s drive.

It was not to be.

I had left my credit-card at home, and no-card-no-car is a reasonable policy.

Enterprise drove me home to pick up my card – bless ‘em – and I was therefore tootling along the highway, right-hand-lane, speed limit, thinking “When in a hurry, obey the speed limits”. Sure enough, minutes later I spot a speedster pulled over by the OPP.

I rolled into the parking lot at 9:04, not to far off my target, but was waylaid by a couple of ladies who wanted to ask ME about parking regulations.

Thus it was 9:10 when I turned the door handle into the client’s suite.

Or tried to.

Locked.

No one had arrived yet.

So I sat down and pecked away at my laptop, glad that I hadn’t panicked, hadn’t speeded, had made two little-old-ladies happy AND was relaxed enough to acknowledge the client’s apology with forgiveness and honesty: “It’s quite alright!”.