“It is, but thank you. That means the world to me.” She couldn’t help but let a small smile cross her lips at Aera’s next comment, “you know, you’re not the first person to tell me I should write a memoir,” her grin brightened, “but I think I’ll have to see how my life goes. See if it’s worth a memoir, or if I should just stick to writing about others’ stories.” That much, she knew, she preferred, at least for now.
“Yes, he’s in his first year of residency now, and yes - I think both he and my mother played fairly significant roles, though I do like to think that at least some of who my brother and I are would have happened naturally but - yes, he’s the best father I ever could have wished for.” Which did make the fact that she worked for the paper that had played such a heavy hand in his resignation all the more painful, sometimes.
“It can be,” she looked over to Aera, once again in shock as to how people could see her as so stiff and stern - but she also knew that she did sometimes see a different side of the editor-in-chief than even some others on the paper. “I try to be me best as I can but sometimes it gets tough,” not just in the present situation, though that had brought out those feelings even more, “I understand.” She offered Aera a soft smile, hoping that the woman would know just how much she was taking the words to heart. “I have been told I can charm quite a few people, so maybe it’s that, or maybe it’s both of what you said,” she felt a surge of pride at Aera’s words, and her smile brightened, became more solidified, at least for the time being. “I know I’ll be forever grateful for this - dream job, chance of a lifetime indeed, and having you as a mentor - which I hope it’s alright to say - has been nothing short of extraordinary.”
“You’ll get to the memoir stage, one day - but at twenty five? You’ve still got so much to experience; though this year, you’ve been through a hell of a lot. It’ll serve as inspiration, either way; fodder for your own stories, or others.” Keaton’s resignation had been an added weight of tension, to the air of the city - the dramatic headlines and shock however, had begun to fade, leaving once stinging wounds, to heal. “All we can do is try, right? If you were perfect, you wouldn’t have gotten in the door here- we’re not interested in robots and perfect employees - I’m sure the Post or Vogue however, are big fans. Interest in human flaws are my thing.” Maureen spoke so similarly to her father - she saw shades of Keaton Sr. now more than ever, in an intimate setting with his offspring. “You do have a charm; it’s a quiet, modest one, which I throughly enjoy. It reads as eagerness and good humour, above all else.” Perhaps she’d grown soft in her fondness for the next generation; she was entirely sincere and genuine, in her open praise of Maureen. “I do hope it’s been nothing short of extraordinary, otherwise I’ve been surely short changing you of an amazing experience - do you have any goals for our upcoming new year? An article idea perhaps, you’d like to see come to fruition; a lead, you’d like to chase.”
