The main course arrived, served with precision and care by the team of servers. I barely registered what was on the plate, too preoccupied with the rising tension in the room. The men were engrossed in a conversation that had taken a much more serious tone, their voices almost too quiet to hear over the soft clinking of silverware. The women, seated next to their husbands or partners, remained silent, only speaking when spoken to, nodding along in agreement with whatever was being discussed. I could tell they were used to this dynamic.
As for me, I zoned out almost immediately. It was all so... formal, like I was an extra in a movie where the lead characters did all the talking, and I just blended into the background. I didn’t care much for the conversation—they were talking about things
