6:30
We 'll be normal for a couple of hours . '' `` A long stretch , '' Joe said , but then he felt bad . `` Why not ? O.K. '' They agreed to meet at 6:30 . He ironed a pair of pants and an aloha shirt , mumbling to himself about what a pain in the ass it was , but by the time he stepped off the elevator he was feeling better ; it was nice to be liked . Joe was overly punctual and used to waiting for women . He forgave them ; it was a genetic condition associated with the willingness to walk slowly in front of onrushing traffic and also -- somehow -- with the inability to have money ready at checkout counters .