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" Occasional tardiness is unavoidable, but that doesn&amp;#039;t mean it should ruin your night -- or that of the people you&amp;#039;re meeting. Depending on how late you are, here&amp;#039;s how to handle it: 10 minutes Call, apologize, and say you&amp;#039;re running five minutes behind. This puts the inconvenienced parties at ease and keeps their eyes off the clock. 20 minutes Call, apologize, and provide an excuse. (&amp;quot;I left without my wallet.&amp;quot;) If the group&amp;#039;s becoming impatient, at least they&amp;#039;re coddled. 30 minutes Call, apologize, and encourage them to start without you. Food can be a palliative. 40 minutes Call, apologize, and blame traffic. They&amp;#039;ll think it&amp;#039;s a lie, but it&amp;#039;s one they&amp;#039;ve used before. 50 minutes Call, apologize, and cite a pet or child issue. 1 hour Call, apologize profusely, and consider picking up a gift. Then again, maybe you should just get there. You&amp;#039;re late enough already. More than one hour Call and hope to leave a voice mail. At this point, you shouldn&amp;#039;t be coming. You should also look for new friends. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.com/style/a2803/lateness-bbb06/>