“Finally, I’m meeting the famous Sister Sue! I have heard so much about you. Please come in and welcome to our apartment.” Billy gave her a warm handshake and took Sam’s hand in his.
“Thank you, Billy. Very nice to meet you.” She gave a smile of approval.
“Great timing, ladies; it’s 7 p.m. The restaurant is just around the corner so let’s make our way there. What do you say?”
“Lead the way. We’re right behind you, honey.” Sam interlocked her arm with the sister and followed Billy out.
Right from the beginning, Sue was impressed with Billy and by the time they ordered dessert, she understood why Sam was in love with him. She was in awe of how they finished each other sentences, touched each other gently and the way they would fondly glance at one another. It reminded her of the days she’d had with Sam’s father before that fatal day when her life had changed forever.
She found herself desperately yearning to tell Sam all about it and mustered all her strength to contain herself before she exploded with the emotions she’d kept in check for far too long.
“Excuse me, Sister Sue, I know it’s late, but I was hoping you might have time to come back to the apartment for a cup of tea or coffee. We would love your company. How about it? I promise we won’t take too much of your time,” Billy asked.
“Yes, of course. Thank you for asking. By the way, earlier you said, ‘our apartment’, so did you mean it’s Sam’s and yours?” She looked at Sam.
“It sure is, sister. I put the apartment in both our names after Sam helped me with the deposit. But technically, it’s the bank’s until I pay off the mortgage.” Billy laughed. “Did she tell you she’ll also be teaching university students while she’s completing her research degree? Can you believe that?”
Sam had mentioned it, although avoiding her eyes as she did so. Sue plastered a smile on her face. “Yes Billy, she told me, and I’m just as impressed as you are.”
Sue wasn’t happy that Sam not only still had the book glasses but was actively using them. She knew that something so precious had a dark side to it and hoped beyond everything that her daughter wouldn’t be drawn irretrievably into its web.
Teaching Undergrads
After tea and coffee at their place, Sister Sue gratefully accepted their kind offer to walk her back to Manly Wharf and see her off. With Billy sandwiched in between the two women, they headed out and started talking about the wonderful night they had just enjoyed.
Billy looked at the sister thoughtfully. “Sorry to interrupt you ladies, but something has been bothering me all night and I need to ask you about it.”
“What, Billy? Don’t keep us waiting,” Sam said, annoyed at his interruption.
“Are you sure you two are not related?” Billy carefully scrutinised them both.
“What are you talking about, silly? Do we look related?” Sam replied with her hands on her hips.
“Well, yes, you do, actually. I noticed the first moment I saw you together when you arrived at the apartment and dismissed it, thinking it was my imagination. But during dinner at the restaurant, I noticed your hand and face actions are similar.
“Wait, hear me out. Yes, you look a little different, but that’s because of the age difference. Just look at your hands for goodness’ sake.”
Billy stopped talking as she and Sister Sue frowned at him. “Sorry, Sister Sue, I don’t know what has gotten into him. Billy, stop embarrassing me.”
“Sam, can’t you see it?” Billy asked.
It was rare she got angry with Billy, but this was her reunion with Sister Sue. Why was he behaving this way? “Billy, you’re ruining the night.” She was mortified by the shocked look on the sister’s face.
“I’m sorry, Sam,” he said. “It’s probably just my imagination.” He tentatively took her hand. “I love Sam so much I think I see a bit of her in everyone.”
By the time they got to the wharf, everyone had recovered, and they ended the night just the way Sam had hoped they would, with a commitment to see each other regularly.
A few weeks later, Sam received a text from Sister Sue about organising their next dinner date. Thrilled to hear from her so soon, she immediately called Billy, momentarily forgetting she was in the midst of a half-day meeting with the professor, who suddenly walked back into the room, quickly ending her conversation.
“Thank you for agreeing to my schedule and timeframes, but this teaching responsibility is a bit early for me, don’t you think, Professor?” she asked.
“Hang on, I said your schedule and timeframes are a good start, so let’s leave it at that. As far as your teaching responsibilities, whatever do you mean?”
“I can’t do public speaking,” Sam blurted out.
He scowled. “I have no times for games. I know what you are trying to do, and you are not getting out of teaching just so you can focus on your research. I’m not having that, okay? You’re teaching tomorrow and that’s it. You have been emailed all your presentations, you know the subject material, get on with it. You have two undergrad classes per week and make sure you meet the head lecturer before you start your first class.”
“I’m teaching undergrads!” Sam said, thinking out loud as she picked up her things and headed out the door.
The next day, after a short meeting with the head lecturer of the School of Law, she found herself hurrying to her first teaching class. After promising to never be late for them, she conceded she was about to break that promise on her first day.
She stopped short at the door of the lecture theatre to catch her breath and adjust the book glasses before walking in. With new-found confidence, she entered the theatre, amazed to see close to three hundred undergrads waiting for the class to start. She was livid that no one had warned her about the ridiculous numbers.
“Hey, stupid, you better sit down before the professor walks in,” someone in the front row called out, drawing the attention of all the students in the lecture theatre.
Ignoring him, she walked up to the lectern and deposited her notes on top. “My name is Samantha Page and welcome to Business Law. This undergraduate subject has an emphasis on the wide range of career options open to graduates who combine specialist knowledge of business law with studies in business, accounting, marketing, economics, finance, or government.
“Career opportunities include accountant, financial analyst, investment adviser, policy advisor, compliance and regulatory specialist, tax adviser, financial broker and financial planner. Do I have your attention now?” She gave her audience a huge smile.
Yes, she did have their full attention. She enjoyed their shocked reactions that someone so young would be their teacher. Even those high up the back row, where faces were hard to distinguish, were silent.
As they all sat there all with their mouths agape, the same individual in the front row who had yelled at her put his hand up and waited patiently for Sam to notice him.
“Yes, you with your hand up.” She realised that he was not much older than her.
“Sorry for my outburst, Professor, you look so young and I thought you were a student,” he called out, to the horror of the rest of the students.
“What’s your name?” Sam asked.
“Luke. Sorry, I mean Luke Anderson,” he replied nervously.
“Well, Luke Anderson, guess what? I’m not a professor. I am a PhD student here. So, there’s no need to apologise.”
“If you’re not a professor, how is it that you are teaching?” Luke asked on behalf of everyone else in the room.
“There is a mandatory teaching component in the PhD postgraduate research degree in which I am enrolled. So, I’m afraid to say, you’ll need to put up with me for the entire semester.”
In no time at all she was in full flight, flicking through the slides and answering questions on the subject matter which she knew like the back of her hand.
Ten minutes into the two-hour lesson, she noticed a student stand up and walk out, closely followed by another tw
o students. Sam’s heart started to beat faster as she tried to understand why they were leaving, when she noticed another two students get up and leave.
Focusing on her lesson became more difficult as students began to exit the room by the dozen.
Realising that she had control of the class, Sam stopped the lesson and gave the class five minutes to complete an exercise that wasn’t scheduled to be done until the second lesson so she could investigate.
Sam rushed out the door to catch the last two students exiting the theatre. “Excuse me, why is everyone leaving my class?”
“This class is available online, so we don’t need to be here in person,” one of them said.
Her friend added, “Also, we have four weeks to lock in a subject and most of us use this time to try out a few different subjects to see if they suit us.”
“And it’s adult learning so we can come and go any time we like, but everyone goes to the first class to check out the professor.”
“Yes, of course. Thank you for that.”
“That’s okay, Professor. See you.” They both waved and continued on their way.
Their explanations took a load off Sam’s shoulders and she was able to resume the lesson when she returned. If she hadn’t been so caught up with the overall fear of teaching, she would have recalled her experience and not bothered worrying about what students thought of her or why they were leaving her class.
By the end of the lesson, she was more fearless than she could ever have imagined which allowed her to focus on the task at hand and not sweat the small stuff.
Dr Samantha Page
August 2017
“Come in,” Sam called after finishing a call with Billy.
“Excuse me, are you Dr Samantha Page?” A sweet voice asked. A young woman took a hesitant step into her office.
“Yes, I am. How can I help you?” Sam said from her desk.
“I’m a new student and my friends told me to come and see you about transferring into your business law class,” she asked, taking another step.
“What’s your name, please?”
“My name is Wee Ying.”
“Wee Ying, your friends gave you incorrect advice. You will need to go to the administration building, right next door to this building, to request a transfer. I cannot help you with that. Do you understand?”
“I understand, thank you,” Ying replied, smiling.
“Good. It’s the same place where you first enrolled in your classes, remember?” Sam said with a wave as she watched her walk out.
Just as she resumed marking the paper in front of her, she heard another knock on her office door. “I told you, it’s the building next door!” She called without looking up as she kept on marking.
“You said no such thing. What about the building next door?” Professor Grasim asked as he took a seat.
“Sorry, Professor. I thought you were a student!” Sam said, standing immediately.
“Sit down, sit down. Look, we need to talk about continuing your work here. What do you say?”
“What? Me, continuing to work here?”
“Yes, on a more permanent basis. What do you think?” he said with a grin.
“No way! I told you not to even think about it!”
“Okay, take it easy. It was just an idea.” He waved his hands to try to calm her down.
“Just an idea! When you first brought it up, I told you no. Remember, when I accepted this teaching position six months ago just after I received my PhD, you said it would only be for six months. Well, next week those six months are up. It’s just an idea? give me a break!” Sam said, annoyed he would try this again.
“Come on, Sam. I gave you a chance, remember? I’m only asking.”
“Please don’t do this to me. I understand and that’s why I accepted this six-month position in the first place. But I’ve just got into my new apartment in the city and I need a job that will cover my living expenses. Sorry, but I’m finishing up next week as agreed.”
“All I can say is that I gave it a good go. You can’t blame me for trying.” He winked.
“It’s not funny. You know how much you and the faculty means to me.” She was mad at him for pushing her buttons.
“Yes, I know, and we are all very proud of you, Dr Page, and would like to thank you for your professionalism and undying commitment over the last few years towards your research, colleagues and students. I will miss you dearly. After all, who am I going to needle when you are gone?” The professor finished off with a joke, but she could have sworn he was blinking tears out of his eyes.
By the time she’d left her teaching position at the university, Sam had secured a full-time job at the most prominent law firm in Sydney.
Stanley, Wise and Associates was fast becoming the most successful law firm in the country after a series of lawsuit wins regarding big business takeovers and company mergers over the past five years. They were renowned for their savvy and cutting-edge concepts and would often leave their opponents astounded by their lawful unorthodox approaches.
Sam secured a twelve-month contract for an undisclosed amount, rumoured around the law faculty to be in the millions, with a performance bonus attached to it, of course.
Although pleased with herself, the faculty was unaware she was far from satisfied with this achievement, but it was a step closer to her goal of one day starting her own business law firm.
Confident she already possessed the knowledge, aptitude, and technique to make it happen, all she desired from this position at Stanley, Wise and Associates was the experience and the contacts required to fulfil her dream and enable her to take the next step in her life.
As Sam walked to her new job with the sun on her face, she did so without a care in the world. Walking straight through to the high-end business part of the city, a place she’d once considered a no-go zone, she felt comfortable in her navy-blue pinstripe power suit with matching shoes and handbag.
Her destination was easy to find because it was the newest and highest structure in the city. The ride to the twenty-first floor took no time in one of the ten new elevators with all the bells and whistles. It opened directly into the foyer of Stanley, Wise and Associates as the firm took up the entire floor.
She approached the reception desk and asked for the CEO, Barry Stanley, and the receptionist directed her to take a seat.
“Sam, you’re early. Please come in,” Barry said as he strode into the foyer, his greying temples catching in the light from the windows.
“Thanks, Barry. Good morning.” Sam looked up and smiled at him, then followed him into his magnificent office.
“Yes, good morning! Coffee or tea?” Barry asked while walking back behind his desk.
“Tea, please. I would love a little lemon in it, if you have it,” Sam asked, taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk.
“Did you get that, Betty?” Barry asked over the intercom and waited for her confirmation. “Sam, welcome to Stanley, Wise and Associates.”
Sam nodded. “Thank you.”
“Now, sorry to get straight into things, but we have a problem. It involves a business merger of enormous proportions, and I mean a monster, which has not been granted government approval. We are making a case to get that approval granted and would like your assistance.
“I’ve asked Tony Baxter, who’s the lead on this case, to join us to bring you up to speed. Now, I must warn you, Tony is a hothead, but he’s top-notch and I think you will like him.” He looked down at his phone as he finished off texting Tony and as Betty appeared with Sam’s tea.
“That’s great, I’m happy to assist. I’m looking forward to putting my teaching into practice,” Sam said.
They heard a knock but before Barry could respond, the door opened, and a head of curly black hair appeared around the door. “I thought I’d let myself in.”
“Good, you’re here. Come in. Tony, I would like to introduce you to Dr Samantha Page. I have told her you are lead on th
e McDonnell and Savanna case and I asked you here to fill in Samantha on your approach.”
“Pleased to meet you, Samantha. Barry has told me so much about you. Welcome onboard, Professor!” Tony said with a shrewd grin as he shook her hand. His grip was firm and his eyes daring.
“Thank you, Tony. Before you give me a run-down and we talk about strategy, I would first like to ask you some questions about why they didn’t get government approval at the hearing. I hope you don’t mind?” Sam took a sip of hot lemon tea.
“Nothing really to discuss, they just didn’t get approval. We need to discuss my strategy and you need to get an understanding of how they do their business before the next and final hearing, or we don’t get another chance,” Tony replied, refusing Barry’s offer of a hot beverage.
“Look, you are the lead. I’m not interested in your strategy or getting an understanding of how they do business. That’s your responsibility. I’m here to help you with the merger and, as you said, we only have one more shot at it, so please indulge me and either give me the documents or tell me why they weren’t granted approval or I can’t help you,” Sam said.
He looked from her to Barry, then when the boss nodded his head, he opened the file he had brought with him, selected a document, and started to read, “Section (35), clause b, of the Commonwealth of Australia Merger Act: Failure to prove shareholders of both parties do not have a conflict of interest.”
“Is that it?” Sam asked, putting down her tea.
“Yes, that’s what it’s got here.” He handed her his file.
Sam smiled. “Well, gentlemen, it looks like we’ve got this next hearing in the bag.”
“What makes you say that?” Barry said, sitting upright in his chair.
“In all my research into this area, I have never come across any documentation where approval for such a merger is not granted because they did not comply with only one section. Usually, there is a minimum of about two dozen reasons, but I’ve seen hundreds on many occasions. This next hearing is only a formality. This is all but approved. All you need to do is to comply with the one section and it’s done. It’s that easy.” She returned the file to Tony.
The Book Glasses Page 14