A case study is presented to illustrate the various meanings of time to a young woman who was always late. Analysis revealed its pregenital roots and relationship to her voracious, manipulating, and inconsistent mother. The patient's behavior is understood as a defense against the manipulating mother as well as a struggle against identification with the mother-image. Her isolation and repression of interpretations in analysis followed the model of her earlier childhood bodily activities of holding food in her mouth and then spitting it out instead of swallowing it. The various psychosexual levels are analyzed in relation to their contribution to the patient's difficulty in relation to time. By denying the reality of time she was able regressively to revive early oral, omnipotent, and fusion fantasies with mother. Resulting ego distortions and their impact on object relationships are also discussed.