“I’m so proud of us, ladies! Finally, a truly supportive women’s community!” Emília raised her water bottle with teary eyes.
The others laughed and pulled out various bottles from their bags to toast together on the blankets laid out on the sandy beach.
“I’d also like to say thank you,” Dóra raised her hand.
She straightened up and waited for all eyes to turn toward her. She shook her thick hair and then ran her hand through it. It was clear she enjoyed the attention.
“As you all probably know,” she began, “I’m a lawyer by profession.” She paused for a moment, wanting to give everyone time to absorb the information. “Since moving here, I’ve been working in customer management. And before you label me as just another real estate agent, I want you to know it’s something entirely different. It’s much more personal and complex,” she laughed. “But I won’t bore you with the details, I just wanted to thank you all for your support. Without these joyful get-togethers, I wouldn’t be able to perform at such a high level. I have one hundred and fifty satisfied clients!”
“Hooray, hooray!” Magdolna clapped with raised hands. “What wonderful news! Congratulations, Dóra, we’re all happy for your success! It’s amazing that we can celebrate together without any envy,” she gushed. “I also owe my success as one of the top settlement consultants to your encouragement. Every fellow citizen moving here knows that if they want their affairs in good hands, they need to come to me. Thanks to you, my dear friends!”
“You’re fantastic, dear Magdolna,” Krisztina exclaimed, blushing. “I happily send my clients to you. And they trust me because, thanks to our team, our company organizes the most unique, personalized trips for visitors from our homeland.”
“I can vouch for that, my dears,” Enikő chimed in. “Since we’ve become the top accommodation providers on the island, we only recommend Magdolna and her team. They’re professionals, honest, and take tourists to places even locals don’t know.”
“Congratulations to this amazing team once again!” Emília exclaimed, her enthusiasm a bit exaggerated.
It was becoming harder for her to maintain her smile. She looked deeply into the eyes of the newcomer sitting quietly across from her, as if wanting to say something. Then, she subtly nodded her head toward the restroom.
“Oh my God, what a load of self-praise,” Emília groaned once they were out of earshot of the group, speaking to the young woman who had recently joined them. “Don’t believe a word of that nonsense!”
“Why? Is it not true?” the newcomer asked in surprise.
“Pfft, that’s an understatement. Remember the lawyer? She went to law school for one year and brags about that. Customer manager? She’s just a translator, not even a professional one. A rip-off! And the settlement consultant? She’s a translator too, for crying out loud! Just with five times the hourly rate. Secret tours! A translator with a map charging an absurd daily fee! The top accommodation provider? Yeah, except toilet paper isn’t part of the service. Sure, there’s a hairdryer, but when you arrive after a full day of traveling, you can’t even use the bathroom. You have to go straight to the store or dry yourself with the hairdryer after peeing.”
“Wow, that’s something. I’ll keep that in mind. And you? What do you do?”
“Oh, I’m in something completely different, not these petty rip-offs. I’m a financial and investment advisor, an economist. Well, I didn’t finish university because they don’t teach anything useful about real life there. The school of life taught me everything I know, and I help our fellow citizens who move to the island make the best investments. It’s not a cheap service, but I know huge opportunities. Ones that neither the locals nor people from other nations are aware of.”