Golf was having a potential business partner, a Chinese translator, come over to our apartment this morning at 10 AM. She was supposed to come with her husband and their baby. I was rushing around the house getting it picked up, straightened up, preparing snacks and pastries and getting my hair and makeup done. It was 9:50 AM and I had just finished preparing the platter of pastries and scones, a plate of sliced pears and I had a FULL pot of coffee freshly brewed and we're trying to get Aidan fed before our company arrived.
The phone rang at 10 til 10. Golf answered. It was the translator lady saying something URGENT came up and she'd have to reschedule. WHAT?!?! She should have been in Berkeley by then, nearly to our place in Alameda!!! Why the hell would you call someone you're supposed to meet 10 minutes before you're supposed to arrive to cancel???? She should have let us know the moment she found out something.
I guess I'm old fashioned, but I like to prepare for guests. I like to make sure the house looks neat and tidy and that I have refreshments to serve. I went shopping yesterday for this visit. I made sure my child was clean, neat and fed. I made sure I looked presentable by taking the time to do my hair and makeup. All of this takes time and effort to do.
Why do people these days have so little respect for keeping appointments??? It pisses me off to no end.
2 comments:
That's terrible, Darshani! I remember you speaking to this on your emails too. Parents need to realize that they're setting examples by behaving this way, and you also get the children on the other end of the spectrum, like your Abi, making the preparations, only to be disappointed in the end. It's a lose-lose situation all around. :(
BTW -- lady just now called and it's 3:15 PM. She asked if she can be over within the hour. OK, said Golf. BUT we have nothing to offer her anymore. We ate most the snacks n goodies already.
Amy, it's definitely one thing I noticed about the US when I moved there 23 years ago. Americans often say they will do something and then just not show up. I once had a dinner party and invited 16 people and cooked dinner for 16 people! Four people cancelled less than an hour before the dinner, and 6 people just didn't bother showing up at all. A dinner party for 16 ended up being a dinner party for 6. What a waste of food!
When I'm in the US now, I always presume people will be at least 15 minutes late, and at least 40% of the people who SAY they are coming WON'T. That way you're not disappointed.
I know this happens everywhere (Thailand is bad for time keeping because of the traffic), but in my experience at least, the US was worse than anywhere else I've ever been.
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