The Waiting Game

I’m not the sort of person who is usually on time. I have a rare condition. I once arrived so late that one of the people I was supposed to meet, having waited for me for over an hour, went home. I didn’t notice. I also frequently lie about my location to make it easier for the other person to endure the wait. Of course, when it becomes apparent that I lied because it doesn’t take 2 hours to reach anywhere from Connaught Place, they get a bit annoyed, disregarding the fact that I did it for their own good. Nobody appreciates how considerate I really am.

I do, however, have very strict rules about waiting for others. I don’t like to do it, so I don’t. I make sure I’m adequately late so that I don’t need to do so. In addition to my natural gift for being appallingly late, this determination helps me time things to perfection. Of course, this means that I have no idea of how to reach a place on time, say, for an interview. I turn up freakishly early, try to while away time, lose track of it and end up being late anyway.

Recently, one of my friends turned this habit into a two-player waiting game and lied about her location as well as the time we were supposed to meet. Imagine her astonishment and my indignation when I was the first to reach. Obviously, this means that I will have to further delay my arrival in future to account for the possibility of her lying. The only optimum that exists is for everyone to tell the truth while I do as I please. Otherwise, as a cursory study of any cheap talk game will tell you, there will only exist a babbling equilibrium.