I missed a flight today because seven months ago a friend asked me to join him for drinks.

Or, more accurately, random Monday night drinks with my friend set in motion a sequence of events that led me to missing my flight today.

I've only missed my flight twice, which I guess is not a terrible average for a frequent flyer, which I definitely am, but to be honest once was enough.

But these things happen.

So anyway, on a random Monday night back in October, a friend of mine asked me, "hey, you wanna go for drinks tonight?"

I wanted to say no, but I said yes.

I said yes, and then we had a glass of wine. And then we had two. And then we had three. And then he did what men sometimes do when they're a little tipsy. "Let's go somewhere where maybe there's women," he said.

I wasn't convinced. But I did the thing I sometimes do when I'm out and opened my Couchsurfing app. I checked the 'Hangout' section. I found someone we shall call 'Person From City That's Not a Capital'.

Person From City That's Not a Capital said it was too late to go out that day, but that they'd be available the next day.

So the next day we went out. And the day after. And the day after. And the one after that. And then the next day they travelled back to her country of residence, which doesn't coincide with their country of birth. Which ironically is now my country of residence. Which doesn't coincide with my country of birth.

We swapped places, basically.

But I like Person From City That's Not a Capital, which is why I came to see them (I'm not using they/them out of some sort of woke trauma, it's just to keep some mystery around this person's gender, even though it's pretty obvious) in their country of residence.

Twice.

This country, we shall call it Country of Residence, is one of the world's most visited countries, and well, I'm here.

And last night I went for drinks with Person From City That's Not a Capital, and we got home late. And I simply didn't hear the seven alarms I'd set to wake up this morning and make my flight.

That had never ever happened before. And I'm counting on it not happening again in future.

But it is what it is.

So let's recap.

If I hadn't said yes to drinks with my friend, I wouldn't have met Person From City That's Not a Capital. And if I hadn't met Person From City That's Not a Capital, I wouldn't have travelled here. And I wouldn't have had drinks till late night. And I wouldn't have missed my flight.

It was still worth it, though.

But now I'm in damage control mode.

The thing is, my next destination is not back home. I'm going to my homeland - hometown, actually - via a four-day stopover somewhere else in my homeland.

I booked and paid for my hotel, and booked and paid for my train ticket from said place to my hometown. So I had to suck it up and fork out almost $300 for a flight today... booked this morning.

You live and you learn, hopefully.