The car was blue, with too much room for people who mostly traveled alone. Sead circled it enthusiastically while Ivona mentally repeated the amount they would have to set aside monthly. They had discussed buying but made no decision. They had agreed only to look. The seller approached with a key and said he was pleased they had both chosen the same model. Ivona looked at Sead, already smiling as though the deal were done.
She said they were still thinking. Sead rested a hand on her shoulder and repeated something about her natural caution. He gave the seller a friendly wink, forming a small alliance in which she became the person who always delayed enjoyment. Ivona recognized it. That was how they had decided on an expensive holiday and agreed to a family lunch she could not prepare. Before others Sead spoke in the plural, making her later no seem like spoiling an existing agreement.
The seller began explaining next steps. Ivona interrupted and said she had not agreed to the purchase. Her voice sounded harder than intended because she had to get through two other sentences to be heard. Sead flushed. He said they could discuss it later. She replied that later came after the paperwork about which he was behaving as though everything were settled. The seller withdrew to give them space.
In the car they had arrived in, Sead accused Ivona of humiliating him. She asked whether he had left any way to tell the truth without correcting him. He claimed he knew she would eventually agree. That was the problem: her opinion had become a temporary obstacle before the answer he already considered final. She did not ask them to abandon every larger plan. She wanted plans to be shared before gaining an audience.
They went home without the new car. For several days they barely discussed money. Then they sat at the table and examined what they could actually afford. Ivona did not immediately soften her position to reward his participation. They chose to keep their existing car longer. Sead called the seller himself and explained that no decision had been made, without mentioning a wife changing her mind.
A month later friends invited them on a trip. Sead began saying they would come, then paused and looked at Ivona. It was not a look asking her to keep the peace. He asked whether she wanted to go at all. She said yes, but they should check dates first. The answer was not especially exciting. That was precisely why she found it easier to believe the plural genuinely included her this time.