I asked for the information again instead of pretending I could work around not having it

Dear Delyara, There are professional situations where people quietly expect women to be resourceful enough to compensate for bad communication without ever naming the cost. I have spent years doing exactly that. This week, instead of filling the gaps myself, I wrote back and asked for the missing information clearly and directly. No apology. No extra sweetness. No pretending I should be able to read minds and produce perfect work anyway. It felt better than it should have. Which probably means I needed to do it more often.