Tea brought a folder containing her proposal for a small hotel's interior to dinner. She had worked on the project for a month and was proud of the room arrangement she had finally simplified. Her manager, Ivan, said the client needed a little more attention before making his final decision. She thought he meant changes to the drawings. She told her husband she would be late and asked him to save some lunch for her.
The client greeted her with an excessively familiar handshake. He had already ordered wine and asked what music she liked. Tea answered briefly, opened the folder, and began explaining the proposal. He glanced at a few sheets, then said there was time for work. Ivan laughed and suggested first getting to know the people with whom they would collaborate.
After dinner the client mentioned staying in the city until Sunday. He told Tea he looked forward to the Saturday walk Ivan had promised. Tea slowly closed her folder. She had agreed to no walk. Ivan waved a hand, explaining that it was only a little hospitality and she knew the city best. The client added that he was particularly glad she was single.
Tea showed her wedding ring, then immediately regretted the gesture. Even without a ring she would owe nobody her Saturday. She said she was unavailable for private outings and could discuss the project during working hours. The client looked at Ivan, who tried escaping through a joke about a misunderstanding. Tea packed the drawings and asked the waiter to call her a taxi.
At home her husband immediately wanted to telephone Ivan. Tea stopped him. She did not want a professional problem becoming an argument between two men over who decided where she could go. She needed someone to hear how humiliating it felt to have a month's work turned into an introduction to somebody's private weekend. Her husband sat down. The food grew cold while she talked.
The following day she repeated at the company what had been said and requested another manager on the project. Ivan claimed she was spoiling business over a harmless conversation. Ultimately the client chose another proposal. Tea did not know whether they would have won him by remaining silent, nor did she want to spend a career calculating that difference. On Saturday she stayed home with her husband, repairing a shelf they had postponed for months. Her free day was quite ordinary, which meant a great deal to her then.