But your letter also made me think about a different hour of the day: 5 p.m., and about who I was once at 5 p.m., in the office in my late 20s. Sometimes my boss would call impromptu meetings around 5, right when I knew (and he should have known) a colleague absolutely had to leave to deal with child care. She could not stay; I happily attended the meeting. This was good for my career and probably not for hers. Now, looking back, I wish I had said: “Actually, I have to go too. Can we reconvene tomorrow morning?”