One who is always late

        One who is always late .

“Hi. Mrs. Bhagea , I’m pleased to welcome you and your daughter. I can’t see Mr. Vinod, your husband. Is he coming?” asked Mr. Arnold, the fifty-five-year-old engineer who is celebrating his birthday.

“He will be joining us in an hour. We were waiting for him and we planned to leave home at 2.00 pm. Anita and I were ready around 1.30 pm. At 1.40 pm, he called us. He informed us that he left the office at 1.00 pm and was expecting to reach home in half an hour. He was stuck in a traffic jam. He told me that it was caused by an accident in which several vehicles were involved, fifty kms away. He asked us to proceed to the party and not to wait for him. He didn’t want us to be late.”

“I am glad. You have come before the party starts. Let me hope Vinod too will join us. Better late than never.”

Another invitee:

“Hi, Mrs. Bhagea. I don’t see Vinod. Is he not coming? “

“He will join us somewhat late. We planned to come together but he was held up on his way home by a traffic jam caused by an accident. As we didn’t want to be the usual late comers, we left without him. We got his phone call assuring us that he would do his best to meet us here.”

“Fine! We will be pleased to see him among us. Poor Guy! He’s always late in spite of his determination to be on time. I remember the last time you attended a party at my place, you all came almost at the end of the party.”

“Yes, I still had a bad memory of it. On that day he was so absorbed in his office work that he forgot completely about your party. In the morning before he left, he told me that we should attend the function. He asked me and my daughter to stay prepared and he was sure that he would be back around four o’clock. We intended to leave home at five so that we could be at your place at six. When I didn’t see him back at four-thirty, I called him. He told me that he was at the hospital. I was scared.”

“Vinod, what happened? Are you ok?” I asked.

“Darling, don’t worry! I’m fine “was his reply. Then I felt relieved. He explained that one of his colleagues fainted all of a sudden. He took him urgently to the hospital. The medical examination carried out on him lasted for more than an hour. It was only when the patient was admitted in the Intensive care unit that Vinod came back home It was 7.00 pm. I told him that I was proud of him for his good act. I suggested to him that we better not attend the party. It was late. He insisted that he would get ready fast and we would all be at your place. He said to me: “You are one of his best friends and he couldn’t miss your party. He amusingly muttered “My friend knows that Aim a notable late comer.”

That is why we arrived at your place almost at the end.

“As for today, you are lucky to attend the party right from its start. Hope Vinod will join us soon.”

   The party started at the scheduled time. The host, Mr. Arnold made his welcome speech. He thanked the invitees for responding to his invitation. He hoped they would all spend a nice time together at his place. His friend Raj wished him on behalf of all those present a happy birthday and he also talked briefly on Arnold’s good character and his achievements. They all joined to wish him.

   Invitees grouped themselves in small groups and got engaged in lively chats and they could be seen exchanging hearty smiles. Drinks and snacks were being served to them.

When Mrs. Bhagea cast a look at the other groups, she got the feeling that someone over there might be hinting on her husband’s usual lateness. At times she paid less attention to the chats in her group and directed her gaze to the main entrance. The more the lateness was enduring, the more she felt tensed.

   As every expectation had a limit, Vinod appeared at the entrance. He was smartly dressed. He made his entry with a broad smile, concealing the unending fuss endured about the traffic jam and the need for him to get ready hastily. Mrs. Bhagea saw her tension melted out. She then focused more on her group’s chats.

  One invitee from her group said:” I know Mrs. Bhagea would stop looking at the entrance now.”

  “You are right. On seeing him, I feel relieved “

Vinod was warmly welcomed by the host. He started meeting each group, exchanging some words with them. When he was seen spending more time with a group, he was certainly giving a hint of the traffic jam and the accident. He was a talkative guy and digging from his mine of wide knowledge, he could fit comfortably in any group. Mr. Arnold noticed that he should help Vinod to join his wife’s group. He did so by accompanying him there and requested the caterer to serve him his drinks and snacks. He noted that the group wanted to have a gist of the traffic jam on the highway. He responded to their questions with brief answers. He then raised new topics. They then talked about soccer and politics.

 Mr. Arnold invited the guests to join in a dance which he started himself. Vinod and his wife had two rounds. Even their daughter enjoyed herself with a young guy whom she met for the first time. He asked his wife: “How was the start?”

  “Very interesting. Mr. Arnold’s welcome speech was awesome. His friend Rony talked about Mr. Arnold’s pleasant character and his life achievements. His choice of words was superb. He was warmly applauded. Though he missed a greater part of the party, he felt happy for the very lively end in spite of his late appearance.

   Mr. Vinod had always missed the beginning of parties. He had hardly any clear idea about it. Circumstances played a foul game on him. Despite his strong willingness to be punctual, unforeseen events compelled him to be the most noted latecomer. 

  He celebrated his fiftieth birthday three months ago. He was at a loss about the preparations. Every now and then, he had to ask his wife and daughter details about the procedure. 

Luckily for his birthday, he managed well with the beginning under their supervision. As for the speech, it wasn’t difficult to find the right wordings. He practiced his speech several times and delivered a very good one on that occasion. What struck him most was that all his invitees were punctual. They were all present when he made his welcome speech.

   After the party, he racked his brains about the causes of his usual lateness. He remembered how the first day he took part in the Cambridge school certificate exams, he reached the center a quarter of an hour late. While his father was driving him to the exam center, the car tyre got a puncture. His dad replaced it. They lost half an hour. This lateness impacted on him as the chief invigilator didn’t allow him any additional time. 

   There had been many instances in his life during which his lateness was a common occurrence. He was conscious about it and many a time he emboldened himself to avoid it. Despite his determination, a negative force most often stepped in and restrained him from being punctual. Sometimes he felt ashamed of himself as he had to apologize for his lateness. In the office, his boss was aware about his inevitable lateness. But as he was a competent officer, his occasional lateness of a few minutes was overlooked. 

   When Vinod had to travel by plane, he was very careful. If he had to reach the airport two hours before the flight, he planned to be there two and a half hours. Luckily for him, he had never been late and had never missed any flight 

  His lateness befriended him even on his wedding day. His marriage with Miss Bhagea was fixed for 3.00 pm. The latter’s parents and invitees were seated at 2.45 pm. Even the priest was there waiting for the bridegroom and his parents. Vinod and his invitees arrived there at 3.25pm. A school friend who was among the invitees said in a jocular way: “ Vinod is born to be a perpetual latecomer.”