Last Thursday, Fran had e-mailed to ask if I could pick her up from the airport, Sunday, 10:48, Singapore Airlines flight 23.

So, after a late night last night, I stumble out of bed groggily and to my utter amazement make it there on time, with quarter of an hour to spare. But watching the Arrivals monitors, I get to feel increasingly puzzled with every minute that passes.
Whatever flight is landing at Schiphol today, none of them is a Singapore Airlines one out of New York.

Asking airport information personnel confirms my fear: there are no flights from Singapore Airlines landing at Schiphol today. None.

Back to the monitors. There is a Continental flight from Newark coming in to land at roughly the time Fran said she would arrive, so I decide to wait for that. The plane lands, the passengers are off-loaded, and an hour and a half later I am still at the gate, having had Fran paged several times, and debating whether I shouldn't just give up or wait 5 minutes more.

In the end I remember I have other people to see today, places to be, things to do - and leave.