Erik was only a year older than Audrey, and they’d always been close. They talked almost every day, so of course she’d told him she would be visiting campus today.Disappointing.She inserted the appropriate emoji.
Nooooo that sucks! What happened?
Overheard some other professors talking about me, upset that I was hired.She decided to leave Dr. Thompson’s name out of it, since Erik probably remembered her from Audrey’s undergrad days, when she’d talked about her nonstop.
Damn, sis, I’m sorry.He followed it with a hugging emoji.
Thx. Mercy’s great though, and I *love* my office.
She and Erik texted for a few more minutes, and he soon had her in hysterics over an awkward run-in he’d had with one of his patients at the grocery store. Erik was an ER physician, and apparently he’d treated this man last week for a cucumber lodged in his rectum. Needless to say, he wasn’t thrilled to see Erik while he was picking out fresh vegetables with his wife.
By the time Audrey got ready for bed that night, her mood was restored. Tomorrow was a new day. She needed to finish setting up her office and start finding ways to make herself indispensable to Stuart Hollinger, the department chair, so he and the rest of the hiring committee would have no reason not to make her one-year contract a permanent one.
Whether Dr. Thompson liked it or not, Audrey was here to stay.
Audrey spent most of the week working on her office, and by Friday, it was absolutely perfect, if she did say so herself. After removing as many scuff marks as she could from the walls, she’d hung several paintings to add color and character to the space. She’d even picked up an inexpensive office chair to replace the one that had been left to her.
She placed the last book on the bottom shelf and stood up. Her shelves were bursting with books and ceramics, just the way she liked them. In a few minutes, she would go upstairs for the official “welcome to the new semester” gathering, where she’d meet the rest of her colleagues. So far, she’d encountered fewer professors walking the halls than she’d expected.
As for Dr. Thompson, Audrey had seen her twice more, but Dr. Thompson had been only perfunctorily polite, giving Audrey apinched smile before retreating into her office and closing the door behind herself. It stung. Maybe Audrey had entertained a pipe dream of them becoming friends, or perhaps she’d hoped Dr. Thompson would slip back into the role of advisor and help Audrey find her footing here as a professor. Whatever she’d imagined, it hadn’t been this.
Mercy appeared in the doorway to Audrey’s office, rapping her knuckles against the open door. Today, her box braids were in a loose bun on top of her head.
“Hey,” Audrey said with a smile. “Haven’t seen you around much this week.”
Mercy shrugged. “I came and did my thing. I don’t think anyone spent as many hours here this week as you did.”
“Guilty as charged,” Audrey admitted. “I was eager to set up my first office.”
“Can’t blame you. I remember feeling the same way. Have you met many of the other professors?” Mercy asked.
“A few. It’s been quieter than I was expecting.”
“You’ll meet everyone at the meeting, I’m sure. Are you ready? I was about to head up to the conference room, and I thought you might like to walk together.”
“I’d like that a lot. Thanks, Mercy.” She was so grateful for Mercy’s guidance. Not only had she answered Audrey’s many questions, but she offered these extra gestures, like walking into the meeting together so Audrey didn’t feel like an outsider.
Audrey stood and closed her laptop, taking only her satchel with her. Inside, she kept a sketchbook in case artistic inspiration struck, but it also might come in handy for taking notes. Of course, she had her cell phone for note-taking too.
Nerves prickled in her stomach as she followed Mercy out of her office. Walking into a room full of professors as their peer for the first time was one thing, but several of those people had once beenherprofessors. Hopefully, they would welcome her as one of themnow, but her confidence was a little shaken by her interactions with Dr. Thompson.
Audrey and Mercy went upstairs to the third floor, entering a conference room Audrey had never been in before. The windows were rain spattered, revealing the wet, gray day outside. Audrey had forgotten how much it rained in Vermont this time of year.
When she got home later this afternoon, she’d open the windows and breathe it in, maybe even take her umbrella and go for a walk. The rain invigorated her, which was fortunate, as she found herself facing a half dozen members of her new department, all of whom were currently gazing at her with curiosity.
Audrey checked in with her face, making sure she wore an open, friendly smile, because these people were forming critical first impressions of her right now.
“You must be the new ceramics professor,” a tall man with thinning white hair said, extending a hand.
“I am. Audrey Lind.” She gave his hand a firm shake. He looked vaguely familiar, and she suspected he’d taught here during her undergrad days, although she didn’t think she’d ever taken one of his classes.
“Thomas Rivard.”
“Dr. Rivard, of course. I remember you from my time here as a student.”
His eyebrows rose. “You’re a Northshire alumna?”
She nodded. “Graduated eight years ago. Art history major, naturally.”
