Maricela hesitated at the door of the overcrowded office, taking in the teetering stacks of paper and books littering almost every surface. Every surface, that is, except the small round table in the back. Seated at the table was her professor, squinting at a laptop screen, reading glasses perched ineffectively. After a brief moment, the professor looked up, saw Mari, and removed her glasses.
She smiled expectantly.
"Hello, I'm here for my conference," Mari quietly squeaked out.
"Come in, have a seat."
Mari made a show of taking the empty seat across the table and pulling out her writer's notebook, trying to prolong the process to delay the inevitable—the professor was going to read her writing, and there was nothing Mari could do to stop
She smiled expectantly.
"Hello, I'm here for my conference," Mari quietly squeaked out.
"Come in, have a seat."
Mari made a show of taking the empty seat across the table and pulling out her writer's notebook, trying to prolong the process to delay the inevitable—the professor was going to read her writing, and there was nothing Mari could do to stop