I sat there, clad in a perfectly tailored dark grey suit, a crisp white shirt, and a neatly knotted silk tie. My keen eyes scanned the area around me with the precision of a detective dissecting evidence, contemplating the frames up in the wall, people around, and more. The door creaked open, and there she was—Ale, arriving with a confident stride. Her presence echoed the camaraderie we shared outside the confines of our professional lives.