I sat drinking my second glass of wine in the outdoor cafe waiting for my friend Sarah to arrive for our 7:00 dinner date. By 7:20 I decided I'd go ahead and order appetizers, not because I wanted them, but because I was growing fearful of the small crowd of people who were waiting patiently to be seated. Food came, I nibbled, and having nothing to read I stared intently at my tray of fried mystery vegetables trying to look as if I were making a very important decision.
Finally, Sarah rounded the corner fashionably late and still chatting on her cell phone. "Sorry," she said, "My mom called as I was walking out the door." "No problem," I told her and grinned knowing 7:00 really meant 7:30 to her. I wondered if I were thirty minutes late for her what would she think? Nothing much I decided. Sometimes it's okay to run behind. But what if I was her period and was thirty minutes late? Would I still be fashionable or would that be rude? How long should a person wait given a certain set of circumstances? What is the correct amount of time for your dentist, your friends, your period? When does fashionably late just become late?
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