Okay, so: I used to run a course at a university. When I left a year ago, the head of department asked if I'd do them a massive favour and agree to do one 1-hour supervision with each student on my course in their second year. This would mean doing paid hourly work after I'd left my position. I agreed, thinking this was the right thing to do because when the students started the course, they'd each been promised a 1-2-1 session with me in their final (2nd) year.
So, these sessions were arranged. I turned up (on Zoom) to do one for a student - let's call her Maureen - the other day, and she didn't turn up. I waited 15 minutes, then closed down the Zoom and emailed her saying, 'You didn't turn up - hope all is well etc.' She emailed and said 'Sorry, completely forgot, can we rearrange?' I said, 'Really sorry, but no. I'm completely over-scheduled and overcommitted and there's no more space in my diary between now and the end of your Year 2.'
The next day, the new Course Director wrote and said, 'Maureen's very sorry, she forgot and is there any chance you can squeeze her in? If you can't, another student is willing to give her their slot with you.' I didn't really notice the second part of this because I was reading v quickly, and I sent a quick reply saying, 'Really sorry, no - I'm snowed under.'
Then this morning I get an email from another student on this course - let's call him Dave - saying 'I am writing to cancel my forthcoming supervision with you.' When I read this, I remembered that the new course director had said that 'Another student is willing to let Maureen have his slot.'
Okay, so that's all background. Here's my question: am I being unreasonable to think that if Dave wants to cancel, that's his choice, but once he cancels, it's not up to him to say that he's 'giving' what would have been his hour with me to Maureen? My view is: once he cancels, and takes himself out of my diary, then I have that hour back and I can assign it to any activity I want. He and the course director would be very unreasonable (I think?) to say, 'Now that you've had a cancellation from Dave, you can give Maureen that hour and fit her in'. I think that's a massive violation of the boundary around my time management/scheduling. I don't think I'd ever say to anyone: 'I'm cancelling my meeting with you and so you must now give that hour to a person of my choosing?' But am I wrong? Should I relax and think, 'Ah, it's fine - if Dave doesn't mind, then I can just move Maureen into that hour instead and who cares?' How bad/cheeky is Dave for suggesting/trying to do this? How inflexible/unreasonable am I being? Thanks in advance!