Det var en klar høstmorgen i Oslo, og den travle kaffebaren var allerede full av liv.

It was a clear autumn morning in Oslo, and the busy coffee shop was already full of life.

Duften av nytraktet kaffe fylte lokalet, og lyden av samtaler og kaffemaskinen lagde en koselig bakgrunnsstøy.

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the room, and the sound of conversations and the coffee machine created a cozy background noise.

Store vinduer ga utsikt til trærne utenfor, der bladene danset i vinden.

Large windows provided a view of the trees outside, where the leaves danced in the wind.

Astrid var en av kundene, en ung profesjonell på vei oppover i karrieren.

Astrid was one of the customers, a young professional on the rise in her career.

Hun hadde en arbeidsdag foran seg, men akkurat nå ønsket hun bare en stille stund med kaffen sin.

She had a workday ahead of her, but right now she just wanted a quiet moment with her coffee.

Hennes kollega, Oskar, hadde en tendens til å dukke opp med sine endeløse ideer når hun minst ventet det.

Her colleague, Oskar, had a tendency to show up with his endless ideas when she least expected it.

"Brainstorming," kalte han det.

"Brainstorming," he called it.

Hun kalte det "tidstyveri."

She called it "time theft."

Astrid så seg rundt.

Astrid looked around.

Hun oppdaget Oskar ved skranken.

She spotted Oskar at the counter.

Han gestikulerte ivrig mot baristaen.

He was gesturing eagerly at the barista.

Astrid visste at hun måtte finne en måte å unngå ham på.

Astrid knew she had to find a way to avoid him.

Mens hun steg opp fra stolen sin, skled vesken ned fra skulderen hun forsøkte å manøvrere seg gjennom mylderet.

As she rose from her chair, her bag slipped off her shoulder as she tried to maneuver her way through the crowd.

I jakten på å finne et rolig sted, så hun et skilt til toalettene og svingte raskt til høyre.

In pursuit of finding a quiet place, she saw a sign to the restrooms and quickly turned right.

Inne på toalettet tok hun seg et øyeblikk til å samle tankene.

Inside the restroom, she took a moment to gather her thoughts.

Hun pustet dypt inn og tok en slurk kaffe.

She took a deep breath and a sip of coffee.

Det var da hun merket noe galt: Toalettet hadde pissoarer.

That's when she noticed something was wrong: The restroom had urinals.

Hjertet sank.

Her heart sank.

Hun hadde gått inn i herrenes.

She had entered the men's room.

Rød i ansiktet, fanget i en blanding av skam og frustrasjon, visste hun at hun måtte komme seg ut.

Red-faced, caught in a mix of shame and frustration, she knew she had to get out.

Uten å nøle forlot hun raskt stedet, men da hun gikk ut, kom hun rett på Oskar.

Without hesitation, she quickly left the place, but as she exited, she ran right into Oskar.

Han hadde stått ved døren og ventet.

He had been standing by the door waiting.

"Hei, Astrid! Jeg har en ny idé..." begynte han, men Astrid tok et dypt pust.

"Hi, Astrid! I have a new idea..." he began, but Astrid took a deep breath.

Dette var tiden for å finne sin egen stemme.

This was the time to find her own voice.

"Oskar, jeg liker å arbeide alene en stund.

"Oskar, I like to work alone for a while.

Jeg trenger min egen tid til å tenke," sa hun, overveldende stolt av egen direktehet.

I need my own time to think," she said, overwhelmingly proud of her assertiveness.

Oskar nikket, litt overrasket, men uten tegn til å bli fornærmet.

Oskar nodded, a bit surprised, but showing no signs of being offended.

"Klart, skjønner," svarte han smilende.

"Of course, I understand," he replied with a smile.

"Vi kan prate senere."

"We can talk later."

Da Oskar gikk, følte Astrid en lettelse.

As Oskar left, Astrid felt a sense of relief.

Hun hadde gjort det.

She had done it.

Hun lærte at det var greit å sette grenser.

She learned that it was okay to set boundaries.

Hun så ut gjennom de store vinduene, hvor fargerike blader danset i vinden utenfor igjen.

She looked out through the large windows, where colorful leaves danced in the wind outside once more.

Det var en ny dag, og hun kunne ikke annet enn å smile.

It was a new day, and she could not help but smile.

Kaffen smakte bedre, og hun visste at hun hadde vunnet litt mer frihet.

The coffee tasted better, and she knew she had gained a little more freedom.