Patience

Chapter 1 - And Your Partner Is...

My beautiful little brother is 100% my favourite person in the world. I swear he is a ball of energy and emits rays of sunshine. He is one of the most outgoing 9-year-olds ever and rarely has time to sit still, he is always on the move. He is the reason I keep going most days, he is my favourite thing in this world.

"Come on Tom, finish up with your shoes. I've got to head to class early today so that means you do to." Rushing his little fingers around his laces he looks up to shoot me a smile, the kind that scrunches his nose and shows off his missing front tooth.

"Is it a long day today? Will I get to see Mia?" Mia is my best friend and might as well be Tom's second sister, she's been around almost as long as I have. With early classes, late shifts at work and the million other things I need to do to keep us going, Mia is around a lot to help look after Tom when I need to be somewhere.

"Yeah Tommy, I've gotta work tonight so Mia will pick you up from school around 4 but I'll be home before bedtime."

He picks up his school bag and shoves his lunch box in the front, swinging it onto his back seconds later. Giving me a thumbs up to let me know he is ready to go.

"Have you got your permission slip for the museum today?" I turn around, checking three times that I've locked the front door.

"Yep" he says with a pop to the 'p' as he slams the car door behind him. "It's gonna be wicked" he says, looking out the window on our short drive from the house to his school.

Kensington Public School is only about a five-minute drive from home and has an amazing out of hours care program which allows Tom to be at school from 7am until 7pm which comes in handy depending on when my lectures start and when I manage to finish work.

"Alright, have a good day. Enjoy the museum and I expect to hear all about it before bed so don't use up all your stories on Mia." I say as I pull up to the curb outside the front gate.

"Love you Sage, learn lots." Tom yells as he blows me a kiss, almost already out the door.

"Learn lots buddy, love you too." Blowing him a kiss just before he turns his back on me and makes his way down the path to his classroom.

That's our 'thing', our parting words every weekday, "learn lots". Because I've learnt that you can never know too much, because there is always something new around the corner and then at the end of the day, right before bed we debrief each other on the things we learnt that day, it's tradition. Tom is smart, probably too smart for his own good some days.

Taking a deep breath as I take in the time on the dash, I realise I'm already running late - 7.25am. Early morning meetings before my lectures are going to kill me some day, I'm sure of it.

***

"The experience of traumatic events in childhood has consequences for health in adulthood. A broad range of traumatic events experienced in childhood including physical abuse, sexual abuse, prolonged hospitalization, and family instability such as parental unemployment or substance abuse have been linked to chronic illness in adulthood stemming from poor immune functioning or poor cardiovascular health. According to a life course perspective, there are multiple potential pathways that may contribute to a process of cumulative disadvantage following traumatic childhood events which we will cover in tomorrow's class. Now as this is your last year with me, I have decided to change up my assessments slightly. In order for you to each show me you can work under pressure during an unexpected change to circumstances I will be choosing your research topics and I will be shaving two weeks off the completion time." Professor Morgan manages to finish before the groans start.

Danny, the scrawny looking guy sitting next to me rolls his eyes and shakes his head as he slides his gaze across to see me doing the same. We don't have assigned seating, but we've managed to find ourselves sitting together the last three years, I've found that he's one of the only people willing to put up with my attitude.

"Now, now, it's not all bad. I'll also be pairing you up with a partner to help compensate for the reduced time frame and before you ask, we are not in high school anymore so no, you cannot choose who you are paired with." Queue more groaning here... "I will provide you with your topic and your partners name with your graded papers from last week. Please make your way down to the door in five minutes and I will provide them to you as you leave, meet up with your partner before you head out today, so you are able to get started."

I do not have time for this, we've already gone over the allocated time for this lecture without having to wait an extra five minutes for our papers. I'm going to be pushing to get to work on time and I'm really not in the mood to put up with a dressing down from my boss. It has just been one of those days it seems.

Out of the corner of my eye I can see someone already standing, chucking their bag over their shoulder as they start to make their way down to the front of the room. I don't even need to look up to know who it is as a chill runs down my spine, lifting my head, I lock eyes with the person on the move almost instantly, Hunter Keen. Hunter is ridiculously good looking, smart and a massive pain in my ass, it's almost always guaranteed we'll get into some kind of debate during our lectures, from him complaining he can hear me mutter from across the room to how wrong he is about how abusers should be treated. Not only that but he always somehow ends up giving me the creeps. I quickly move my attention to packing my things away as he continues on down the stairs.

"I would prefer to do this by myself I think, it's not like anyone in this lecture even knows I exist." Danny mumbles, his nose wrinkles and eyebrows drawn down, as he packs away his bag.

"How could these people not know you exist Danny, you're 6'3 and always somehow manage to get in late... but honestly same, or with you at least."

We step out of our row and down the stairs, joining everyone else in line. Professor Morgan makes her way through the crowd of students, handing out our marked papers and our partners details. Giving me a smile and a small nod, she hands me back my paper, a big red 97% at the top of the page, but the name of my partner pulls my attention away...

Hunter Keen

Child Abuse and Neglect

Great, absolutely fantastic...

Lifting my gaze to search the room, I find him still rooted in place next to the door, staring at his crumpled-up piece of paper. As if some how sensing me looking at him, his eyes lift to connect with mine before his feet start carrying him in my direction. As if this day couldn't get worse...

"Can I grab your number, if we're doing this, I want to be able to get it done quick." He speaks, voice gruff, sounding as though he hasn't spoken in hours. I've got to say he's a little less creepy looking up close, with bright light blue eyes, smooth skin and perfectly cropped hair, how could someone so pretty be so incredibly frustrating?

"Sorry buddy, I don't give out my phone number, so we'll have to make a plan now or wait until we're back here tomorrow." Wrong thing to say, tip one, don't patronize someone that already doesn't like you...

Raising his eyebrows, he stares me down. Unflinching, unmoving, like a brick wall. A good looking brick wall...

He still doesn't speak, the silence between us heavy and uncomfortable "Tomorrow it is... Well, I've gotta go. Can't be late for work, so I guess I'll see you tomorrow." I force out with a smile, one of those big, obviously fake ones as I reach out and pat him on the shoulder before I push my way out of the room and into the courtyard.

This'll be fun.

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HI!

My name is Samantha Anderson, I am a 22 years old Pom living in the great country of Australia.

I am always writing and recently decided to share this with others, I find the urge to write most when my mind drifts to other places while I spend my working days behind a computer Monday - Friday, 8-6.

When I'm not writing and procrastinating at work, you'll find me enjoying the warm weather of Western Australia with my Husband and two dogs.

I am here for fun but would love to hear any comments you may have on my work, I believe that once a writers work is out there for public consumption it is no longer yours. It is now the peoples to read and interpret, let me know what you think.

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