"On my way": the friend who's always late, explained with love

The message arrives right on time, at least: "On my way". You've been at the table for twenty minutes, you've finished the breadsticks and read the menu twice. Meanwhile, somewhere across town, someone has just found their keys. We all have a friend like this: someone for whom the meeting time is a rough guide, an estimate, almost an opinion. And the funny thing is, we love them anyway. Maybe even a little because of it.

The late friend's little dictionary

Before you get annoyed, learn the language. The things a late friend says have a precise meaning, just not the one written.

• "On my way": I'm alive. Possibly dressed.
• "Five minutes": a flexible unit of time, between twenty and forty real minutes.
• "I'm in the car": I'm walking towards the car.
• "Just parking, coming up": the parking space doesn't exist, but I believe in it.
• "Start without me": I'll arrive exactly as you sit down, and I'll want the menu.
• "The traffic was insane": I watched one more episode.

If you recognise yourself on the other end of any of these, no judgement: keep reading, there's hope for you too.

The late friends we all know

Not all lateness is the same. There are the classics, and nearly every group of friends has at least one.

• The optimist: genuinely believes ten minutes is enough to cross the city at rush hour. Every time. For years.
• The one still in the shower: when you text "where are you?", the honest answer would be "under the water", but what you get is "just leaving".
• The big entrance: arrives late, but with a story told so well that you end up forgiving them.
• The one who brings dessert: the delay always comes with a box of pastries. A winning strategy, to be fair.
• The surprise early bird: always late, except the one time you are. That day they turn up early and remind you about it for months.

Why it's better to laugh about it

You can try to change a late friend. You can give them a time half an hour early, send them an alarm, threaten to leave without them. It works for a week, then everything goes back to normal.

The truth is that their lateness is part of who they are, like their laugh or the way they tell a story. Between friends, teasing is a way of saying you know each other well: you poke fun precisely because you know who they are, and they know it too. One affectionate joke does more than a hundred complaints, and turns a flaw into group legend. The day they finally turn up on time, everyone will miss something.

Ways to tease them (lovingly)

If you want to let them know their lateness is now famous, without damaging the friendship, here are a few ideas:

• A watch as a gift, set fifteen minutes fast, with a note: "Maybe now you'll be on time".
• A "certificate of punctuality", solemnly handed over the first time they arrive on time.
• A collection of their best excuses, written in a notebook or an album: the unauthorised biography of their lateness.
• Meet at the café downstairs from their place, so at least the traffic excuse won't work.
• A song about them, full of their famous lines: it's the biggest idea, and there's more on it below.

If you're looking for more ideas for a gift for someone who's always been there, have a look at the page on a song for your best friend.

A song for the friend who's always late

A personalised song is the perfect way to celebrate a flaw that has become part of the family. With Ti Canto you tell us who they are: their name, how long you've known each other, their most ridiculous excuses, their most memorable delay, the time they arrived after the party was over. The lyrics grow from there, and you read them before the music: you can change them word by word or ask for another draft. Then you pick a style (for a late friend, ironic works brilliantly) and two musical versions arrive: choose the one you prefer.

You listen for free before deciding, and unlock it only if you love it. You give it with a link to a gift page where the lyrics scroll in time with the music, or with a printable card with a QR code: perfect to leave on the table while you wait for them.

Want to hear how it sounds? Here's "Sto arrivando" ("On my way"), an Italian example: from the very first line you can guess how it's going to end.

Listen to an example

«Sto arrivando»

pop · 2:01

Play Open the gift

What to put in the song

The more details you give, the more the song will be theirs. Before you start, try answering these questions:

• What's their go-to line when they're running late?
• What's the most ridiculous excuse they've ever come up with?
• Their most legendary delay: where, how long, what did you miss?
• What do you do while you wait (and what do you say about them)?
• Why, despite everything, are they one of the people you care about most?

The last question matters most. Teasing works when there's affection underneath: the song can poke fun for three verses, then say in the chorus that you'd wait for them anyway.

If one delay too many has upset someone, there's also the apology song. And if their birthday is coming up, a birthday song about their lateness is a gift they won't forget, even if they turn up late to their own party.