If you had stood someone up twice, you would be lucky to get a third date. But if you do, you had better turn on the charm.
That is exactly what Barack Obama did during his 18 hours in Jakarta.
This is the city he called home as a child. And its people were feeling neglected after two planned visits were cancelled at short notice earlier this year.
Schoolchildren had rehearsed songs, TV networks had produced special programmes, and people had prepared everything from banners to welcome parties.
But all the plans went to waste as Mr Obama missed confirmed dates in March and June because of domestic political problems.
This time, while many Indonesians were hoping it would be third time lucky, they were not allowing their hopes to get too high - as if they could not bear to have their emotions toyed with again.
"People in general are losing their enthusiasm for Obama's visit," said Professor Azyumardi Azra, a Muslim scholar, just before the president's arrival.
"Indonesia deserved to be the first [foreign] visit of Obama - he should give a symbolic gesture".
The natural disasters which have battered the country in recent weeks also played their part in keeping the mood low-key.
Images of the death and devastation caused by Mount Merapi's eruptions dominated TV coverage in the hours before Air Force One touched down.
BBC News
