Audio: [But That Day It Was](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iFmvmrAB3i1QLIg2JMdUcv_VXa21E5At/view?usp=drivesdk) It’s usually not a problem. The train is sometimes late, the office printer jams once in a while, and someone always forgets to reply to an email. None of it really matters. We fix it and move on. That’s how it normally goes. I almost never worry about small delays. If I arrive five minutes late, no one says anything. If a meeting starts a bit behind schedule, we just shorten it. It’s routine. Nothing dramatic. But that day it was a problem. The train stopped between stations for almost forty minutes. No announcement, no explanation. People started checking their phones, then sighing, then calling their offices. I texted my manager to say I might be late. He didn’t answer. When I finally arrived, everyone was already in the conference room. The client was there too. They had started without me. My part was at the beginning of the presentation. Normally, it wouldn’t have mattered. Normally, someone else could have covered for me. But that day the numbers had changed at the last minute, and I was the only one who had the updated file. We managed in the end. I explained quickly, and the meeting continued. It wasn’t a disaster. Still, it’s funny how something that’s usually nothing can suddenly become important. Most days, delays don’t mean much. But that day, they did.