The club chairwoman said walkers should be left in the cloakroom with the coats. At first Mara thought she had misheard. Tables were set for the annual celebration, white cloths straightened, narrow passages left between them. Her walker stood before a chair she could not sit in without support. The chairwoman repeated that the servers would bring them everything and that the room needed to look harmonious when the guests arrived.
Mara had come there every Thursday for seven years. She knew the people now avoiding her eyes. With them she played cards, complained about prices, and celebrated grandchildren's births. Her friend Adnan whispered that she should not argue over a single afternoon. He had already propped his cane behind a curtain. He did not want to look like an old man lacking something. Mara asked how he planned to get to the bathroom.
The question hung awkwardly between the glasses. The chairwoman said somebody could always help and tried to take the walker. Mara gripped it more firmly. She did not raise her voice, but people at neighboring tables stopped talking. She said she was not ashamed of the object that allowed her to come to the celebration by herself. If there was no room for it, the room was not prepared for her either, however tidy it looked.
The youngest server moved an empty chair to get through with her tray. Mara asked her to leave it aside. A sufficient passage opened. Soon another member shifted a decorative plant blocking the way to the door. These were not major alterations. Their very simplicity angered the chairwoman most. She talked about the effort she had invested while people looked for the first time at where they could actually walk.
Adnan retrieved his cane only after standing and having to catch the edge of the table. Mara did not tell him she had been right. She waited beside the empty chair. During lunch the chairwoman skipped her while toasting, and two friends later told her she had ruined the mood. Mara ate her cake and admitted it had not felt good to be the person making everyone fall silent.
The following Thursday she came despite wanting to stay home. Adnan had already dealt the cards. Beside her chair he had left enough space, without a sign or any special explanation. The chairwoman greeted her briefly, still offended. Mara positioned her walker, sat down, and took her cards. She did not win the first game. She accused Adnan of remembering other people's moves too well, and he said she was finally complaining about something normal.