Lateness is expensive. This is my story.
The morning of April 11 2023 started out great. I was excited mainly because I slept my migraine and neck pain away.
I woke up feeling pumped and ready to conquer the week and all my tasks. I got a calendar notification on my iPhone 13 Pro (subtle brag even 🙄 if you mention 14 pro eh!!). It was the recurring notification I’d set to remind me to get in touch with a certain someone who I wanted to keep talking to.
Hmmm old age! I’m terrible at keeping contacts so I set reminders when I’m responsible for making the effort.
Unbeknownst to me, there was another reminder sitting under the first one. I will learn a hard lesson later. I also replied a question one of my youtube subscribers asked then, got up to shower and get ready for work.
My plan was to arrive work by 8am and everything seemed on to be going as planned. I looked good as always so, I decided to take a few clicks. Photos and videos of different ways to style my outfit.
“A-Oh-K! Akem ndien! Aya di mia 8am and you won’t arrive by 8am as you planned“, I thought to myself.
I hurriedly packed my tripod, quick re-arrangement to the lounge. Basically, I just pushed the chair to its original position. Then off I was to work. Singing cheerfully in my heart.
Got to work, signed in and was ready to start my day. I am currently developing a method and SOP for a new equipment so, I headed to check on progress of my activity safety assessment card. I was told it’s ready and I can use my instrument. Yipee! Let’s celebrate with food.
PS: I celebrate everything with food. I also console myself about anything with food. What a life! Ayesin idib imagha i’tek. Whatever!
Excited, I went back to my desk to check on activities I needed to do that day. Lo and behold!!! There’s the training I was booked to attend. FUCCCKKKKK! FUCK (x5)
Training was booked to start by 7:30am. “Iyammi”, I muffled scream. “I have a training! I have a training!”, I kept saying whilst hurriedly packing my kaya. My officemate was startled, he asked “what happened?”
Without looking at him, I said “I have a training” as I hastily packed my laptop and my bag. Rushed out, of the office. I signed out, I think I did. Yea I did sign out. I ran to my car.
As all of this is happening, I’m on maps searching for directions to the place. 19mins, it said. “19 frigging mins! I’m fucked!”, I thought. What!! Of all days, today is 19mins. Why do bad things happen to good people!!!
I started going over my mornings and I recalled when I heard a bleep on my iPhone. Could be that was when the notification happened. A notification of IT’S TIME TO LEAVE. Yup, the one I mentioned in the fourth paragraph. Go back and read if you haven’t. This time, do it slowly.
“I don’t think so”, my mind said as I was driving. And yes, cos looking at the calendar, I’d set a reminder (see below) to leave by 7:00am so if I’m not ready I could quickly get ready in 15mins and drive to the venue in 15mins.
But all that was a waste cos iPhone didn’t remind me. It just didn’t. If it was my android, it’ll ring like an alarm. It’ll ring continuously till you stop it. But my iPhone doesn’t do that.
Many shoulda woulda couldas thoughts crossed my mind.
I shoulda checked my calendar a day before
I shoulda gone to work by 7:30
I shoulda this, I shoulda that
If I hadn’t taken photos maybe I would have arrived work before 8 and then opened my laptop and seen my calendar and known to leave.
Maybe if I’d arrived before 8:30am, I could’ve gotten in.
Oh the look on my colleagues face when I arrived late. The walk of shame into the room and out of the room. I was near tears. Scratch that, I cried but only for less than a minute and there were no tears.
The trainer words hit hard, “I’m sorry you can’t join the class” you’ve already missed too much. It’s almost 9am already, class starts at 7:30am, you should reschedule” He said this right in front of the rest of the attendees and everyone was looking at me. It didn’t help that I am dark skinned. The only dark skin there. So yeah I fell right into the stereotype of Africans don’t keep to time. I dived, swam and chilled comfortably in that stereotype
I stood there feeling really cold and wishing the ground opened to consume me. Cos there’s no reasonable excuse for this except that my iPhone calendar betrayed me yet again. That won’t fly. You aren’t the only one with an iPhone.
As the trainer walk with me outside the training room, he placed a call to the coordinator. I was near tears as that was happening. My voice cracked
“I was scared. I’m fucked!! It’s work forgusake! I just literally joked with work. I’m screwed”, I kept thinking.
He calls the lady which goes straight to voicemail. I’m there just not able to think. I’m rattled. I’m panicking. I said, “my colleagues are there and I’m late”. He was like “you forgot?!”
I didn’t know if that was sarcasm or not but I took it like a way of calming me. Even if it was, I probably deserved it. “It is embarrassing“, I uttered. He asked I take the number and call. That way he can go back to the training because at this point he had left the attendees in the room to attend to me.
I had looked forward to this event, and yet missed it. I felt and still feel terrible. I called the woman, no answer. Dropped a voicemail, I didn’t even know what to say.
I called their customer service, who confirmed what the trainer said. You are late so you’ll slow the rest of the class down that why you should rebook a new session. They said I’ll have to call my booker to rebook me. I felt a strong urge to go back to the training room and beg to be allowed to stay. I’m a fast learner. I can pick up very quickly. But then I’ll cause a scene, cos the trainer wouldn’t want to continue and people will stare and drama will ensue. You’re late now causing drama. I could have done that but, I didn’t want to do that.
I panicked, called our H&S manager. His response and how he delivered it is what calmed me. Man, words have a way with people. From the way trainer handled the situation to the way
The lady called back and I explained myself. She said she’ll get her customer service to call me which they did. They said I’ll have to rebook and it’s not free. So they’ll charge me for this one that I’ve “missed” and they’ll charge me for the new one.
What?! That’s a whole lot of expensive. Lateness is expensive people
I called our manager again, even he was like why should they charge us again. Anyway, that part is left to the admin to decide. But it’s three things, they’ll either reschedule under the same PO without extra cost or with extra cost or I’ll have to pay it myself.
I’m not paying. Already my financials is hare wire, this will not look good on my statement. So, that’s how my morning went. From a very chill day to all scattered in one sitting.
Also I write this, my brain is asking for comfort food cos it thinks it needs comfort but the thing is if I eat, I’ll regret eating later. Besides brain, you haven’t earned it. Cos you were to remind me of this training but you like to forget things now see where we are. So no comfort food for you and the stomach. You stomach, don’t you have some reducing to do!!!
In summary, I arrived this centre at about 8:53am. After the whole drame, I went back to my car, sat there in my car, in my shame, in my embarrassment, in my regret tryna sort out myself. Hoping they’ll call me back into the class. And just regretting and regretting. Left the place about 10:25 am. I can’t get training, doesn’t mean my job should suffer.
I couldn’t face the shame so, I headed back home to WFH.
Friends!! lateness is expensive. Also, iPhone is wack in calendar reminders . So, if you’re like me who doesn’t remember many things, not because they are not important. But, you just don’t remember cos probably too many things going on. Then get ready to be disappointed by iPhone. This is the second time it’s doing this but, this is the first most expensive one.
Moral lesson: check your schedule a day before to jolt your memory
©️ The Sassy Engineer
