Rick, the great detective, and Larry sat enjoying their lunch. They were discussing the best action movie franchises and debating the value of the Terminator when Rick looked at the time.
“Oh, I must be going,” Rick said, with a start. He got up and handed Larry cash to pay for lunch.
“Why must you go so quickly?” Larry asked.
“It’s almost tea time,” Rick said.
“You don’t really drink tea,” Larry pointed out. “We could also have tea here.”
“Well, I have this neighbor named Porter. Every afternoon, he sits on his balcony and serves tea.”
“Do you like Porter?” Larry asked.
“No, he’s rather dry,” Rick said, “But he hates me. Unfortunately for Porter, he’s decided that he has a code that requires him to invite everyone he sees to drink tea with him. So every afternoon, I try to go home at tea time. Then we sit together awkwardly for 20 minutes until I finish my cup.”
“What are you trying to accomplish here?” Larry asked.
“I want a breakthrough. Either Porter will stop inviting me for tea, or he will finally become a pleasant person.”
“Sounds fun,” Larry said. “You know, I think I’ll join you for this tea.”
“Fantastic idea,” Rick said. He waved down their waiter, and when he arrived, Rick asked the man, “Do you want to take a break and come to a tea with us?”
“Sure!” The waiter said. “Can I invite the hostess too?”
Twenty minutes later, a few blocks away, a man named Porter looked up from pouring his tea to see Rick and eight other people walking towards his house. Porter’s eyes got wide, and then he timidly shouted towards them. “Does anyone want tea?”