morris panov approached the intersection still bothered by the curious telephone conversation he had had ten minutes ago , still trying to recall each segment of the plan he was to follow , afraid to look at his watch to see if he had reached a specific place within a specific time span -- he had been told not to look at his watch in the street ... and why could n't they say `` at approximately such and such '' rather than the somewhat unnerving term `` time span , '' as if a military invasion of washington were imminent .