ESTAR A PUNTO DE — the easiest rule he's given you, and the saddest
Estar a punto de plus the whole verb, untouched — only estar moves. Iba a llamarte (I never called) versus estaba a punto de llamarte (the phone was already in my hand). It's the best excuse in the language, because it's almost always true. Está a punto de pasar algo — in his line of work, that's a warning.