Later Meaning

Jessica was running late for her meeting. The traffic was chaotic, as usual, but she had made it a habit to always remind herself that things would settle down later. As she sat in her car, stuck behind a long line of cars at a red light, she thought about her presentation. She had promised her boss that she'd deliver a final report on the new marketing strategy, but things just kept getting pushed back. Her colleague, Mark, had asked her to come by his office later in the day to discuss the final edits, but she wasn’t sure when exactly she could squeeze that in. Suddenly, her phone buzzed with a message from him: 'Let's meet later in the afternoon.' She smiled, happy to have some breathing room. 'Later,' she thought, a simple word that always seemed to offer a sense of calm. She had learned over the years to embrace that notion. Time would eventually stretch out, and everything would fall into place. The light turned green, and Jessica pressed the gas pedal, eager to get to the office. Once inside, she found a note on her desk that said, 'The client wants the report later today. ASAP!' That was a bit more urgent than she had expected. She sighed, settling into her chair. 'Later,' she repeated, more to herself than anyone else. She would have to manage, as always. As the afternoon wore on, Jessica realized just how much the word 'later' defined her life. From the casual goodbyes she exchanged with friends to the deadlines she constantly pushed forward, later was both a reassurance and a reminder. By the time the clock struck 5 p.m., she was finally ready to leave, but her phone buzzed one more time. It was Mark again: 'See you later!' Another goodbye, another promise of the future. Jessica smiled, closing her laptop. The future was always just 'later,' and somehow that was always enough.