Billygean.co.uk

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Next time, I'm going to take 14 and demand 13 of them back

"There," I say, sliding my essay across the counter. The law receptionist finishes checking her email and stares at the essay blankly.

"What?" I say, already quite edgy. I don't like this essay. And I don't like to look at hard copies for fear of having pasted MSN conversations into my essay, or something.

"Where's the other one?" she says, tapping her nails on the desk.

"What other one?" I say, my heart racing. Oh God. There was probably another essay. And I'll fail it. And they'll tell law firm that I'm too remedial to even know there was an essay, let alone to do it.

"The other copy," she says, pointing to the declaration I just signed.

"I hereby declare I am submitting two copies of my essay," I read off the sheet, and sigh. I should probably read what I sign in future. "I have a copy in my bag, but it doesn't have a title page. Can I just give you that?"

"No."

"Right then."

"Oh, you can photocopy it," she says, as if this is somehow helpful.

"I know that," I say. It's not her fault, it's not her fault, I repeat in my head. I slouch off to the photocopying room.

I have no credit on my photocopying card.

Or change.

So I head off to the cashpoint. Good job I wasn't handing it in bang on the deadline.

The cashpoint only has twenties, so I go and buy a chocolate bar.

Back to the photocopying room, which has no toner.

I go to the library and print off another copy of my essay.

I walk back into the Reception worryingly close to the deadline. "Here," I say, pushing it across the desk.

She pretends to flick through the essays and staples the declaration to one of them.

Then she hands the copy back to me.

"This is for you," she says.

I open my mouth. "What, the one I just copied?"

"Yeah, you get to have it back."

And who said lawyers have stupid rules?

Labels: law

by billygean.co.uk at 1:52 PM |