Am I too early?

Sometimes I tell myself: maybe just take a walk to the mission, you don't need to jog every time. That never happens! No matter how early I plan to set off, I end up jogging for at least part of the route to be on time. Today's mission was no exception - I bumped into my friend in the park and could not resist a quick chat. As a result, I jogged.

I arrived at Ms N's at 12:58. When I apologised for being slightly too early, Ms N asked: 'Weren't you supposed to come at 2 pm?'. My mission confirmation clearly said 1 pm. Despite being caught a bit off guard, Ms N asked me to wait a few minutes. While I marvelled at copies of paintings by artists I never heard of before, she quickly produced a shopping list with 14 items on it. The list was clearly created on the spot because it didn't have as much detail as usual. Luckily, I already knew Ms N's preferences, so that was not a problem at all.

I followed my standard routine by visiting Saino's and Co-op. I already knew I am not going to get the corn oil there, so I popped into a convenience store which I rated as highly promising in the edible oils department. I was right. The shopkeeper asked me why I'm opting for such fancy, expensive oil - but added right away that his wife is a big fan of corn oil too.

After obtaining the oil, I have forgiven myself for not finding the 'sweet biscuit assortment' at Sainsbury's. Not that I didn't try - I've asked the cashier and even the security guy who stopped me last time to search me. I've gone already about 30p over budget, so I called Ms N to find out whether she is interested in McVitie's biscuit collection. She wasn't. Fortunately, she still had a stash of biscuits, so I could consider the shopping complete without regrets.

Upon my return, Ms N praised my choice of potatoes which were agreeable in size, fresh in appearance and a good value for the price. She also insisted to give me my 30p back and noticed that the prices have gone up. We wished each other a Happy New Year. The next mission will be in 2022!