Tardiness by Dino de Guzman

  For events that happened so fast, it is good to stop and try to reflect. Reflection gives chances for change
 

There was a shrewd business man who got entangled with several corporate debts that resulted in his bankruptcy. He was so depressed with his misfortune and was more distressed when his materialistic wife left him. Concluding that there was nothing left for him, he decided to end his life on the tenth hour of the morning the following Monday.
On Monday, he was up and was about to do his final activity. He lived on the 12th floor of a luxury hotel and left his suite half an hour before his scheduled demise. He took the elevator and was left alone in it some seconds before a clown and a priest walked in. They were all going to the ground floor.
Suddenly the lights went off and the elevator stopped. Sensing that his companions were in shock, he calmly told them that the hotel would be able to bring the power back in minute or two. But after five minutes, it was still out.
Thinking that it may be the last time he would be able to talk to people, he started conversing with the clown and the priest. Surprisingly, all of them had appointments at ten in the morning. The clown just finished a birthday party and had rush down some blocks away from another. The priest was scheduled to meet with several people to secure some help for the church renovation.
He had just finished talking with a philanthropist on the 8th floor.finaly; the businessman told his companion that he had a very important meeting.
After twenty-five minutes, the lights were still off and the elevator wasn’t working. The businessman was beginning to worry that his plan would be ruined. He was getting impatient. The priest tried to calm him.
”Brother, try to cheer up. You can be late because there is an emergency. They will surely understand,” the priest said.
The businessman just gave a smirk. The clown was getting impatient, too. He was restless and his gestures implied his desire for the elevator to move. The businessman did not mind him until he sat down and started talking.
“Father, I have got to admit to you have a lot of patience. My mother once told me that if I had an appointment like this and I got stuck into something…well, it is just God telling me to wait ad think something over,” the clown said.
“Oh, have you done some thinking then?” asked the businessman.
“Yup, I got to go home immediately. I left my water running in the shower” said the clown seriously. “Besides, I’ve forgotten that my aunt is coming over.”
“I suppose you are right. I forgot to inform the kids in my catechism class about their project this week. It is quite hard you know,” said the priest.”I’ll probably call their parents.”
He was taken aback by the questions and it was the only time that he felt skeptic about what he was going to do. He began to think and he thought hard. He tried to recall al his works, his joy, his responsibilities, and his loved ones. He blinked and entertained one thought .the lights went on.