A lady in a faded grey dress and her husband, dressed in a home-spun suit walked in timidly without an appointment into the Harvard University President’s outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn’t even deserve to be in Harvard.

The secretary eyed them with disdain, tapping her perfectly manicured nails impatiently on her desk. “Do you have an appointment?” she asked curtly, her tone dripping with condescension.

The couple exchanged a nervous glance but remained undeterred. “No, ma’am, we don’t,” the husband replied, his voice steady despite the palpable tension in the air. “But we were hoping to speak with the President about a matter of great importance.”

The secretary raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “I’m sorry, but without an appointment, I can’t let you in,” she said dismissively, already reaching for the intercom to notify security.