Elena's expression brightened.
“Wonderful.”
“Only part-time. I work here in the evenings.”
Elena nodded.
“I understand.”
The waitress looked toward the table.
Then whispered, “Seeing you speak made me feel less embarrassed about telling people I study.”
Elena felt her throat tighten.
She looked directly at the young woman.
“What's your name?”
“Amina.”
Elena smiled.
“Amina, you don't have to be embarrassed about either part of your life.”
The waitress's eyes filled slightly.
Elena continued.
“Be proud of the work you do here. And be proud of your studies.”
Amina smiled.
“Thank you.”
Elena nodded.
Then added gently, “And if you have questions about the academic programs in Paris, I'm happy to point you toward the university's public resources.”
The waitress's face brightened.
“I'd like that.”
She returned to her work.
Elena watched her go.
For a moment, she remembered herself standing beside Antoine's table with a notepad in her hand.
She hadn't felt powerful that evening.
She'd felt frightened.
Angry.
And terribly aware of the difference between her wages and the money sitting around the table.
Yet something about the encounter had reached another young woman struggling to balance education with work.
Elena looked toward the place cards.
And realized that perhaps the most meaningful consequence of the dinner wasn't the wager.
It was that another person had seen the confrontation and understood she didn't need to hide her ambitions.
After the main course, Inés introduced the evening's speakers.
Elena rose.
She stood beside the windows overlooking Paris.
The Eiffel Tower glowed against the night sky.
For a moment, the view was almost identical to the one she'd seen six months earlier.
Then she began speaking.
Not in the hurried rhythm of a debate.
Not in response to an insult.
But with the steady confidence of someone sharing work she'd spent years learning how to do.
She spoke about infrastructure investment.
About the practical value of improved transport and storage systems.
About the danger of treating optimistic demand forecasts as guaranteed revenue.
And about the importance of understanding who carried financial risks when projects failed to develop as expected.
She explained that investors needed credible information, but so did the communities, workers, and producers whose lives were connected to the projects.
She discussed the revised Corredor Azul assessment without revealing restricted information.
Then she turned toward the Spanish-speaking guests.