Mrs Foster has a phobia and an obsession with being on time for everything. At the beginning of the story we learn that her husband has a penchant for the opposite: He likes to arrive late or leave two minutes late for most activities. The day they were leaving for the airport to visit her grandchildren, her husband (apparently quite on purpose) decided to join her at the driver's way too behind schedule. However, the flight got cancelled. After they return home to try and catch the flight again, we see that the husband again tried to slow things down by saying that he forgot his daughter's gift inside, which was in fact, in the car already. This is when she goes in to try to get him, and suddenly comes out to take the trip on her own ;)