late

I was doing my best to be on time for a scheduled appointment but everything conspired against me. First, I had an unexpected visit from a dear friend who arrived on a bus with a present for me, hoping for an extended visit. I spent as much time as I could afford (or rather, time I couldn’t afford) talking with her, but then I had to excuse myself as the minutes were slipping away. She was disappointed as I left, telling her that I had to stick to my timetable or nothing would get done and I would let other people down. It was a shame that a visit that should have been delightful felt to me like a pressure. Next, there was a group of people that needed things done for them – food prepared, kitchen utensils unearthed, surfaces cleaned. Finally, I made my getaway, having only ten minutes to spare before the appointment. I needed to go by home to change my outfit to be suitably dressed, but when I walked in my front door, there was another dear friend leading a youth theatre group in the lounge room. He looked happy to see me but I was curt and somehow my voice rang loudly through the room. I stepped around the group, sitting cross-legged on the floor, and then shooed three boys out of my bedroom before shutting the door to get changed. I realised that I was wearing a very strange choice of clothes for me: a short pale skirt, a white top and white ankle socks. I tried to find a pair of matching shoes but every pair that I could find had broken, crumbing heels or one of the pair was missing. I desperately searched the room for comfortable clothing and good shoes, watching the time disappear. I also felt terribly guilty about the gruff way in which I had spoken to my friend; that I had allowed my stress to show. I heard a couple of members of the youth theatre group talking about me, saying that I should speak more kindly to him, and I, privately, agreed. It was now about ten minutes after the time I was due at the appointment and I realised that I didn’t know exactly where it was and how to get there. I wanted to call them to tell them that I was running late, until I understood that they would know I wasn’t coming and that it was too late to attempt to go.