The African Timer

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Everything was set. The priest and the congregation, the bridesmaids and the groomsmen, the parents and the bride.

The bride was fidgety. It was 30 minutes past time and her groom had not arrived. The priest could only wait 5 more minutes, after which she would be joined to 'his absence.'

And then he came, walking briskly down the aisle, sweating copiously. A flat tire was his first excuse, traffic was his second.

But we knew him...right from his undergraduate days, and we already predicted that he'd be late for his wedding. It was his habit; he was so good at it that we nicknamed him the 'African timer'.

Old habits can be broken and new ones developed. It all started by consistently showing up late. If he begins to arrive early consistently, in no time he himself will start wondering why he is never late.


Well, that is not likely to happen to Mr African timer because he has no intentions to change. He'd rather blame the traffic, the weather or the dog on the street than take responsibility for his actions. In fact, we know he'd be late for his own funeral. We'll open the coffin and wonder, "why is this guy not here yet? If he takes too long, we will have to bury an empty coffin."