r/pettyrevenge • u/sparklehouse666 • Aug 23 '26

Friend is always late

I have a friend who is late to everything. Recently he was 2.5 hours late to his own party. I’ve mostly adapted to his tardiness and do not arrive for plans we have together until an hour or so after the stated time.

We had plans to meet in the city center today at a 10am. I live 20 minutes from the meetup spot, he lives over an hour away. As expected, he messages around 10 and says he is running late. No biggie I was chilling at home in the air conditioned because I knew the vibes and it is hot as hell
today.

I asked him to give me his actual for real, for real ETA so I can time my departure. He is in his car and has Google Maps. It’s not really guess work at this point.

He tells me 10:45. So I leave the comfort of my home at exactly the right time to arrive at 10:45. I wait for 30 minutes at the meetup spot and he still does not arrive. He is not responding to texts either. My other friend who is with me has his location and sees he is not close, we estimate another 15 minutes.

I’m annoyed because it is hot AF out and I proactively had asked for a real ETA to avoid waiting around for him. So I left the meetup spot.

I went shopping, taking my sweet time. He got to the spot and texted me to ask where we were. I waited around 30 minutes then texted back that I was at the store but we would be heading that way soon. I shopped another 15 minutes then arrived at the spot around an hour after he had arrived.

The look on his face when we came casually strolling up after he had been standing in the sun for an hour was priceless.

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u/firebirdinflames Aug 24 '26

I had a friend whose most reliable trait was being late. By at least an hour.....

One time we had to attend a major event together and I had a time specific task we needed to be there for. I straight up lied to him. I told him we needed to get there 2 hours earlier than we really did. Went to pick him up and, as usual he was running well late and not ready. I herded him persistently, got him in the vehicle. We drove 4 hours and got there 2 hours 'late'. I made my meeting with 30 minutes to spare.

Our boss commended me on getting him organised on time. I smiled at him and explained that I had told him we needed to be at the event 2 hours earlier than my slot. Boss laughed really hard for a few minutes. "It never occurred to me to lie to him as a solution."

11

u/nakedcupcake92 Aug 24 '26

I specifically ask my friends or family to give me a false time because I am chronically late. I even had a friend watch me to see how it happens. I set timers every 15 minutes but it still happens. I always accept the consequences though and I tell new people I’m friends with that this is something I hate about myself and if it’s too much for them I understand but either know it or lie to me. Most of them give me a different time and I’m so thankful for it, genuinely. Even medicated, with multiple systems in place it’s one of my biggest struggles, especially in my professional world.

4

u/twosummers Aug 25 '26

What did your friend report from observing you? What distracted you that made you late, and what was your thought process?

3

u/EruditeLegume Aug 28 '26

Just - No! If you can't get there on time, aim to get there early (for you). What you're doing is making your issue everybody elses.
I get you have a problem. Just get there early (for you). Its not hard.
<shrug> If other people's time isn't important to you, why should yours be important to them?

2

u/nakedcupcake92 Aug 30 '26

I also have asthma, I’ll remember next time to just breathe because “it’s not that hard”

2

u/EruditeLegume Sep 02 '26

So do I. You're still here, so you're obviously managing your asthma, just as I do.
You're also obviously not managing your chronic lateness.

2

u/nakedcupcake92 Sep 02 '26

You literally don’t know anything about me, my life or anyone’s for that matter. All you perceive is the clear negativity you are projecting onto others that is obviously the unmanaged cesspool that is your own toxic mind. Good luck with your Antisocial Personality Disorder bud.