You 're moments late to literally everything . You watch busses pull away as you run behind them , girls get asked out as you walk up to them , and you have never caught a green light . One day though , you arrive on time . [ WP ]

Five minutes until seven and Sera was walking down the main road, old-fashioned buildings blocked the wind to the east and the sunset to the west. A quick glance at her watch said the restaurant should be only five minutes away. In fact, she could see the sign up ahead, hanging from the side of a tall building as rain drops started to fall. Cars began to flash past around the corner, and she froze with a fear she had felt so often before. There was no saying what it would do to keep her from that restaurant, and she ’ d caused enough damage over the years. 
 
 But a five-minute walk was tempting. At a sprint she could make it in one or two, and how much could truly go wrong in such a short time? In a flash of impulse, she pushed hard on her left foot and took off down the street. A klaxon blared to her right. A flurry of motion in the small café, and crowds rushed out into the street as smoke spilled out from upper windows. The sign vanished in the distance, and her run came to an early finish. 
 
 Sera sighed the kind of sigh that only comes from illusions crushed one too many times, turned on her heel, and walked off down a side street. In terms of life-changing events, missing the first half of the dinner wouldn ’ t matter much. It was just a casual meal with a friend – the only one who could tolerate her. She had been much later to much more important meetings. 
 
 Becca, she had known since law school. Of course, Becca was now a lawyer, while Sera was – what was she? Of course, no one would want a lawyer that only made it to court half the time. Law school was a delusion, and it had shattered just like the rest of her life. But Becca remained. 
 
 At first, she refused to believe Sera ’ s excuses. The car accidents and road maintenance, the security guard who tackled her and the sinkhole – right in the center of Denver, the time all of her clocks seemed to jump an hour backwards and the time her car ’ s engine froze in the middle of summer. Whatever it was that craved her tardiness, it was creative. 
 
 But Becca was always such a determined realist, and she had vowed to get Sera to something on time, long after Sera herself had given up. It just seemed that the closer they got to arriving on time, the more aggressive the delays would be. 
 
 One particular instance played through Sera ’ s mind as she wandered through Denver ’ s side streets. Becca had held her hand, practically dragging her through the city center for the New Year ’ s countdown. They had already abandoned a taxi that ran out of gas, ignored an old man asking for help across the street, and jumped through three construction zones, but as they approached the center and the countdown came into view, Sera ’ s memory grew fuzzy. She remembered a sharp pain in her leg, falling, Becca pulling her the last couple of feet, the same pain in her other legs. As she fell on her back, staring up at the dark windows of an office building, a face had appeared in one. Dark and sad, the figure had shaken its head almost in disappointment. 
 
 Brushing away the thoughts, Sera rounded a corner from a side street back onto the main street. The restaurant stood a hundred feet away, but it was nearly eight-o-clock. She decided it was safe and walked up to the door. 
 
 “ Reservation for ‘ Becca ’, party of three. They probably arrived about an hour ago. ” 
 
 “ Ummmm, ” the waiter ran his finger down a computer screen, dragging out the ‘ m ’ as he did, “ No, sorry it looks like the reservation was made for eight. You ’ re the first one here. ” 
 
 At that moment, Becca burst through the door with a smile on her face that could have set the room buzzing. 
 
 “ You ’ re on time by my watch, ” Becca smiled and gripped Sera in the warmest of hugs. A tear dripped from Sera ’ s cheek as her smile turned into a laughter that felt like hot chocolate and molten marshmellows. All the cold pain in her gut seemed to thaw just the slightest little bit. 
 
 “ Surely you ’ ve met Mane. One of my old clients, ” Becca gestured to the man in the doorway. Sera met his dark eyes, and he shook his head with a profound sadness. 

