Oh, darlings, gather around, for I have a tale that reeks of the age-old family drama sprinkled with a dash of passive-aggressiveness and marinated in a thick sauce of tardiness. This here is a real story from a real person who took their woes to the celestial jury of Reddit, seeking solace, guidance, or maybe just a chance to vent. And who am I, Roger of the HotTakes, to ignore such a deliciously petty squabble? Let us dive into the melodrama that unfolds when punctuality is thrown out the window, along with any semblance of sibling harmony.
Our protagonist, a 27-year-old female imbued with the hope that familial bonds and dinner plans should go hand in hand, finds herself once again ensnared in the web of her elder sister’s laissez-faire attitude towards time. And by time, I mean a consistently, outrageously, jaw-droppingly late arrival to, well, anything that requires her to be somewhere at a specific moment. We’re talking dinners, weddings, graduations – you name it, she’s been late to it. Even Houdini would marvel at her ability to escape the constraints of conventional timekeeping.
So, our dear protagonist, driven by what I can only assume is a mix of optimism and masochism, agrees to a monthly dinner rendezvous, naively hoping this time might be different. But alas, the sister was late… again. Shocked? Neither am I, beloved readers. According to our forlorn friend, waiting times due to her sister’s tardiness could rival that of watching paint dry or grass grow. But this occasion was special, for not only was she late, but she also failed to inform of a plus one – a nearly one-year-old human who, as it turns out, needs time to prepare for public outings.
Let’s not dwell on the husband who dove back into slumber’s embrace, leaving our protagonist and her mother in a state of purgatorial expectancy. No – the meat of this saga lies in our heroine’s decision to bail on the dinner, rejecting the notion of being a loner in a restaurant lobby, a hostage to hope. And when confronted with the reality that her sister’s lateness scales mountains without a harness, she lays down the gauntlet: no talks until an apology materializes from the ether.
The mom, a character torn between maternal instincts and the sucked-into-middle-aged exasperation, tries to navigate these turbulent waters with the grace of a diplomat at the end of their rope. The sister, clueless or indifferent to the chaos her time management wreaks, becomes the inadvertent villain of this piece.
Dear readers, as your guide through the misadventures of adulthood and familial bonds, I’ve witnessed my share of disputes, but this one tickles me. Not for its uniqueness, but for its sheer universality. Who among us hasn’t been on either side of this time-warping debacle?
**Roger’s Hot Take:** Assigning blame is easy. Seeking understanding is harder. Our protagonist isn’t the antagonist for expecting basic respect towards her time. And the sister, ensnared in her vortex of chronic lateness, owes it to her family to acknowledge the impact of her actions. An apology? Deserved. A solution? Necessary. But let’s not forget the real victim here – the restaurant reservation left cold and abandoned, a symbol of what could have been. So, is our protagonist the asshole? Absolutely not. She’s just a woman scorned by the unforgiving hands of time, and a sister who wouldn’t watch them.
So, beloved readers, wait not for those who care not for your time. For in this chaotic dance of life, the music stops for no one, and dinner waits for only so long. Until next time, may your reservations be honored, and your family dinners punctual. Toodles!
Original story
I (27F) had plans to go out to dinner with my sister (30F) as we do every month. She lives in my hometown and I live in the next state over with my BF, we’re about 35 mins to an hour apart depending on traffic. We agreed to meet closer to hometown with my mom.
One thing about her, she is always late. I expect she’ll always be at least 30 mins late but it’s been up to a few hours. And not just random plans, weddings and graduations too. It’s been brought up in the past by mom and I but she always brushes it off and gets upset.
My BF drove me over, I can’t drive and he offered to drop me before he had to head out for plans of his own near home and come back when he was done. I assumed after dinner we would just hang out at her house either way.
Get to the place and start calling my sister (she usually doesn’t say if she’s gonna be late, but if my mom is with her she does, and I hadn’t heard anything). I get mom a few mins later and she says they’re behind because it took awhile to get my nephew who’s almost 1 ready and my sister got in the shower later than expected. I didn’t even know my nephew was coming and she usually tells me if he is. Her husband was apparently there to let mom in when she showed up but went back to sleep as soon as she got there. Not sure why he couldn’t help get baby ready, but that’s none of my business.
I check Maps and it says 35 mins, adding in getting baby strapped and secure and then putting him in either the stroller or front carrier on her body, I was looking at 40 mins. To top it off we had reservations (SHE made the reservation, not me). I had never been to this place and didn’t know if it was one of those places that don’t let you have the table if your whole group isn’t there. There was really no space to wait inside and I’d have to stand outside. Anyway I didn’t feel like sitting alone for 40 mins even if I could.
She doesn’t keep her friends waiting this long when they make plans, I don’t get why it’s okay to do this to me and mom. I’m speaking to mom as they’re trying to change the reservation online, at that point I was fed up. If we agree to be there at a certain time be there. 5 or 10 mins late is fine but not this. I told mom I was going back home, I didn’t feel like fuming at the table and acting like I wasn’t mad when they got there (as I’d done before). She sounded hurt and mad but said fine and that she would go home too.
Since then I haven’t spoken to my sister (it’s been a few weeks) and mom doesn’t want to get in the middle, but I told her I wasn’t speaking to her until I get an apology. Mom told her she can’t keep doing this on their ride back home and agrees it’s an issue, but won’t say much else. It’s ridiculous to just always be late because you’re bad at time management. She also wants to use the “it takes long to get a baby ready” excuse which I would accept if it wasn’t for the fact that this has been a problem long before my nephew was born or even a thought. So, aita?