Not a minute more.

"Wait a minute or hold a sec," says the person on the other line.  And you wait, and listen to the champagne music playing. Or if you dial a corporate office, the operator or call centre will say, "all our representatives are busy right now, please hold for the next available person."

There's call waiting at work.

In personal or love relationships, waiting is an endless effort. People tend to give the partner or loved one more than enough chances to change for the better, to say the "I love you," phrase, or say sorry, or ask for marriage.

Parents give children enough leeway to mend their behaviour, and in offices, workers wait for the raise or promotion year after year.

The public wait for their government officials to do the right thing.

And for those who do wrong, seeing the fault and righting it could also take forever. 

When does the tipping point come?  When does the seam snap?  When do people call it quits?

There are those who wait endlessly; there are those who say not a minute more.

There are those who can move on easily from hurt; there are those who wallow in it.

There are those who see the light; there are those who stumble in the dark.

There are those who commit misconduct, feign ignorance and never read the signs of doom.

The beautiful waiting is in praying.  We wait for God to answer our prayers in His time.