Chocolates to Lower Tempers?

I was busy seeing patients in the outpatient clinic. The nurse called me to say that the building repair contractor had come to see me. So I went out to the waiting hall to see him. He was one of the supervisors of the building repair and renovation work appointed by the contractor. “What is it?” I asked. “I have brought chocolates for you, sir” he said. I looked at the bag he proffered. It was a white nondescript paper bag. “Why?” I asked. “Season’s greetings” he answered. “Oh! I would be happier if you had finished our work in time and that too satisfactorily” I said. “You are six months behind schedule, my patients are being denied adequate treatment because there is no space and no OT facilities. The complaints I had lodged are ignored.” ”We do whatever the architect tells us to do” he said. “So you are connected with the architect, not us. Is that right?” I asked. “Yes.” “Then please give the chocolates to the architect” I said. “I thank you for the offer, but no thanks. You might have a spy camera in place of one of the buttons on your shirt, or another person near the door might be video recording the whole thing as in a sting operation. This bag may be said to contain a bundle of bank notes. I do not want it claimed that I was given a bribe to overlook the deficiencies in the repair and restoration work.” He seemed surprised at that, but thankfully he went away. “Did you really think there would be a sting operation sir?” asked one of our professors when I related the story later. “It was possible” I said. “We are small fish. We are not give bribes on a regular basis like they are said to do to politicians and administrators high up. Giving us chocolates costing 50 to 100 rupees must be enough, compared to 20-50% of the total budget to those who are in control. If we are not appeased by the chocolates, they could always hold the threat of the recording of the sting operation over our heads.” Now I wonder if I was right or just paranoid.