Would a minute have mattered? No, probably not, although his young son appeared to have a very accurate internal clock. Possibly even 2 minutes would be okay. Three minutes, even. You could go to five minutes, perhaps. But that was just it. If you could go for five minutes, then you'd go to ten, then half an hour, a couple of hours...and not see your son all evening. So that was that. Six o'clock, prompt. Every day. Read to young Sam. No excuses. He'd promised himself that. No excuses. No excuses at all. Once you had a good excuse, you opened the door to bad excuses.

Summary

This quote emphasizes the importance of consistency and keeping one's promises. It suggests that although a minute of delay may not seem significant, allowing even a small amount of additional time would lead to a chain of excuses and potential disregard for important commitments. By setting a strict limit, such as reading to his son at 6 o'clock sharp every day, the character establishes a strong sense of reliability and discipline. The quote serves as a reminder to uphold one's commitments and avoid making excuses that could ultimately erode trust and accountability.

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