Sathya stood in her grease-stained overalls, wiping a wrench as a sleek, expensive car pulled into her garage. The driver, a man in a sharp suit, hopped out, looking frantic.

The value of a professional isn't found in the time they spend on a task, but in the years of experience that allow them to solve a problem efficiently. True expertise makes the difficult look easy.

"That’s it?" the man laughed, reaching for his wallet. "You barely did anything. Why should I pay you for ten seconds of work?"

Sathya didn't rush. She listened to the car like it was breathing. She popped the hood, tightened a single bolt near the battery terminal, and told him to start it. The clicking was gone.

Sathya looked him in the eye. "You aren't paying for the ten seconds it took to turn the wrench. You’re paying for the ten years I spent learning which bolt was loose while everyone else told me a woman shouldn't be under a hood."

"I have a meeting in twenty minutes," he barked. "The engine is making a clicking sound. Fix it fast."