Getting To Know My Mentor

As my first day came to a close, Ann asked if I would like to join her for dinner down on the Riverwalk.  I agreed and we walked down the street until we found a stairway that would take us down to the river.  Ann was gushing over how much she loved being in San Antonio and how much she loved the culture and people there.  We strolled along the river watching the gondalas float by until we reached her favorite restaurant.  I was looking forward to having a drink and relaxing a bit after my first day on the job.  She found a table with a great view of the crowds roaming through the area, unfortunately it was outside and the temperature was in the 90's not to mention the high humidity!  The waiter came over and Ann ordered a Miller heavy which I found amusing!  She explained at her stage in life she found no reason to not enjoy the real thing!

She asked me about our search for a house and I told her I was meeting with our real estate agent the next day.  Ann said that she wanted me to take as much time as I needed to get that off my agenda so I could be ready to move as soon as possible.  She changed the subject to the employees in the office and I got her insight into their personalities.  She warned me about Sue, who had been there for a number of years and seemed to be at the center of any unhappiness that cropped up.  The bookkeeper Mary and one of the other coordinators, Christina, were sisters and came from a very strong Hispanic family.  She considered both of them to be great employees, very reliable.  The other two coordinators were Pat and Jackie seemed  to meet her approval, Pat worked part time and Jackie had epilepsy, supposedly controlled by medication.

We both ordered another beer and our dinner, while we waited for the food she revealed that she had breast cancer and was on an experimental oral medication.  According to her there were a small group of women around the country who had been selected to try this experimental treatment.  She had already had surgery and chemotherapy but it had returned so she decided to try this new therapy.  To that point her doctor seemed pleased and she was feeling great.  I was amazed by her strength and her overall positive attitude.