Sit Down, Stand Up

Story Sent in by Jerry:

I was all set to meet Evelyn at a local Starbucks. After waiting for her to show for a while, I called to see if she was standing me up. Over the phone, she apologized for being late. "I went to the wrong Starbucks," she said, "I'll be right there. Five minutes."

I waited for her again and she didn't show. I called to ask if she was lost or just standing me up. She said, "I'm sorry! There was an accident right in front of me and I couldn't move until the cops came and cleared it to the side of the road. I'm five minutes away. I'm coming!"

Twenty minutes later, she still didn't show. I called her and she took on a harsher tone: "Look, I told you I'm on my way. It's not my fault and you have to stop calling me. Seriously. I'm on my way, okay? I'll be there in five."

Fifteen minutes later, she still didn't show. Miffed at her attitude and tired of waiting, I texted her, "Done waiting. Maybe postpone," and I left.

She called me as I was driving away in my car. She said, "Just stay there. I'm like, five minutes away. You can't wait?"

"You've been five minutes away for almost an hour. Are you actually on your way? Or have you just been standing me up this whole time?"

Long silence on her end. Then she said, "I'm sorry. I'm in Columbia."

Columbia, Missouri is over 100 miles west of where I was. I couldn't believe it. "So you said you were on your way this whole time when you weren't? What the hell?"

She said, "No need to be nasty about it. I was just trying to let you down easy. If that's what you're gonna be like then forget it." She hung up. I went home.