He was on time and feeling good about it.
He wasn’t really comfortable with the idea of arranging the evening’s bind date, but he would do his best to not show it. She seemed like a really nice person through the dating service. The bus would get him there a touch early, but that would be a good start, he supposed. This would have been the case, if it hadn’t been for the old guy stepping out in front of the motorbike. It happened just as he was getting off the bus. The bike swerved just in time to avoid him and the rider went on his way, probably oblivious to the fact that the old man had fallen over. It had been a close call.
He got to him quickly and helped him up. At first it looked as though he was only shaken, but it was soon evident that he had a great deal of pain in his arm. There was a good chance that it was broken. Pulling out his phone he called for an ambulance and minutes later he was being put on a stretcher. Watching the vehicle take off he noted the time. The bus had dropped him only a block away from the restaurant. He hurried on.
When he entered their agreed meeting place, he looked around for the table he’d booked. He was doing this when a waiter approached asking if he was supposed to be meeting a lady. Saying that he was, the waiter informed him that she had just left and ushered him to a table where she had left him a note.
He sat and read the short message. It said she had left owing to the fact that she wouldn’t tolerate lateness.
He ordered something to eat and reflected on the evening’s events. He wondered if she would have preferred it if he’d walked on past the old man and been here five minutes early? She probably would.
Wow! Two close calls in one day, he thought.