The King of Hearts had actually planned on arriving on time. And even planned on wearing a tie. But his pager had gone off before he'd even gotten to the door, and naturally, it was another emergency the Weiderman couple. So after an hour of retrieving several tiny objects from their four year old son's nostrils and ears, as well as losing the tie, Theo had again lectured/cautioned them about the dangers of leaving the boy unsupervised with such objects within his reach. He'd warned them that, if such an emergency occurred again, he was going to have to intervene on behalf of the child. He understood the "first time parent" principle, but this was becoming ridiculous.

So it wasn't any surprise--in his view, at least--that he arrived about an hour and a half late, gave his hasty pleasantries and courtesies, then headed straight for the bar and got himself a beer, falling down into a chair nearby with a tired and more than a touch exasperated sigh.