Better late? Not on my watch

I blame mobile phones. Before their arrival, being late meant missing out.

THE other day I was waiting to have a man in. Stop sniggering back there – this was a serious matter of a breached damp course, wet wallpaper and an expert arriving at 9am to take a look.

Now, I work from home so scheduling is everything. There are meetings and deadlines to negotiate in this job so it was crucial he arrived on time.

Which he did not. The 9am appointment came and went and he rocked up at 9.30am without so much as an apology.

I won’t be employing him.

I hate to sound like my mother, but don’t you find that tardiness is now endemic?

It’s ironic that, in a world where time is everywhere – on our wrist, our phones, fitness devices and computers – arriving anywhere on time seems to have become a matter of choice for many people.

‘Time blindness’ I’ve heard it called. Or, in other words, just plain rude.

So, there was a tiny bit of me which was heartened by the report that a cruise ship captain decided to deploy hard-line tactics and leave passengers on an island after they were late returning from an excursion.

The holidaymakers at least had the decency to ring and alert staff that the sun had gone over their personal yardarm but the salty old seadog was having none of it and set sail without them.

Harsh perhaps, but why should hundreds of other people be put out just because some of their fellow passengers decided another hour of feeling the sand between their toes was more important than catching the tide?

I blame mobile phones. Before their arrival, being late meant missing out.

Now, the very technology which should help us keep track of our day enables us to call and text ahead to make our excuses with impunity: ’running behind – see you in 10!’

Which, in reality means, ‘I didn’t like my outfit, so changed, and then put more lippy on and then had to feed the cat.’

I’m amazed at how many people operate in their very own time zones, the underlying assumption being that their day is more important than yours and you have time to waste.

Of course the curse of the habitually late is to have that friend who is always early.

Or, as I like to call them, people who are in the right.

The one who gets to the airport hours before for the flight (OK, that’s me but I’ve missed take-offs before now and the stress nearly killed me.)

Or who sits in the bar looking like Billy-no mates awaiting those ‘just-on-theway’ friends.

Or, when the meal is at 7.15pm will arrive at 7.10pm. A bit annoying if you’re doing the cooking but at least they’ve made the effort and can help drain the spuds.

It’s true what they say that time and tide should wait for no one.

Whether you’re on a cruise ship or not.