Work Text:
I am sitting on a bench, browsing through my camera's storage when I notice them. The perfect candidates for my project, in which I approach couples in the streets of New York and ask them to tell the story of how they met (it’s a fun little side thing to improve my interviewing skills). They are a rather unusual pair: the shorter woman, maybe in her 50s', sports a striking silver haircut and an imperious aura emanates from her; her companion, a younger brunette, in her 30s' perhaps, brightly smiles at something the silver-haired woman said.
I quickly change my camera to recording mode and make my way over to them. Even from a distance, I can already tell they are a couple and not the unfortunate mother-daughter duos I've had yell at me for assuming. Maybe it's the smitten look on the younger woman's face, or the way the older one instinctively grabs her companion's hand when a careless biker darts right past them that gives it away. Or perhaps it's just my intuition.
"Are you two a couple?" I call out to them, camera recording, the moment I get close enough to be heard.
The silver-haired woman turns her head in my general direction, but whether her eyes are looking at me from behind her Chanel sunglasses, I don't know. She, however, seems to tense up when she notices my camera.
In a move that makes my heart race and my knees feel weak, she tilts her head as if examining something odd and says, "Bore someone else with your questions," after which her stride quickens.
Only, her companion, the brunette, halts the scary woman's escape by tugging on her hand and physically drawing her in for a side-hug that's met with a barely visible scowl.
She smiles at me the same way I saw her do earlier for a brief moment, then addresses the older woman. "Come on, Miranda, stop scaring the poor boy," she says to her, moving her own sunglasses to the top of her head, then turns her attention to me again. "Yes, we are."
Feeling a bit more at ease, I continue, "Would you mind telling us the story of how you first met?"
The silver-haired woman, who I now know is called Miranda, huffs in annoyance, but her partner's already bright face becomes even more radiant. She sighs dreamily, gaze fixed somewhere in the clouds, probably reminiscing about that moment.
"It's a funny story, actually. I was being interviewed for my first job, freshly out of college and having just moved to New York to pursue journalism. She," the woman pats Miranda's shoulder playfully, "was actually my boss. She conducted the interview, not sparing me a second glance before dismissing me."
"But you found my dismissal simply unacceptable." Miranda pipes up, humour in her features.
"Precisely." The brunette nods. "So, I gave a big speech about my work ethic, which was totally unprofessional, and she hired me on a whim."
I see Miranda smile at her partner. "If it weren't for that little display of yours, we never would have ended up together, Andréa."
Astonished by those lovely ladies' story, I press on, eager to know more. "So, boss and employee? How do you go from that to a couple?"
The women look at each other, as if sharing some inside joke, then turn to me.
"I worked for Miranda for almost a year. She was a very demanding boss and I almost quit a couple of times. Then, she did something I didn't agree with and I finally left for real," Andréa begins.
"By throwing your phone in a fountain," Miranda adds.
Andréa waves her off. "Yeah, yeah, unimportant details. Where was I? Ah, yes. We reconnected a few years later. You see, I am a journalist, and the newspaper I worked for at the time sent me to cover an event she was hosting. There, we ran into each other."
"Quite literally." Miranda all but laughs. "I was so shocked when I found myself on the ground, drenched in champagne. I thought I had hit my head and Andréa was a figment of my imagination."
"But I wasn't." Andréa teases in a sing-song voice.
She gets ready to continue, when Miranda's phone goes off.
"Excuse me," she says as she goes out of frame to answer and I pause the recording. With little editing, no one will notice the cut in the footage.
Andréa and I wait for her, occasionally hearing an agitated "Get it done" or "Get Emily to fix it, she actually has a head on her shoulders". I get the impression that Miranda is a very busy woman with great responsibilities.
When she finally hangs up, the older woman apologises briefly and joins her partner again.
Andréa welcomes her, embracing her just like before. "As I was saying, we met again years later and almost killed each other. Except we didn't. We began talking and arranging dinners, just as friends at first."
Miranda picks up, "Then the paparazzi spotted us and we became the biggest scandal of 2011." She scoffs. "Andréa and I had an argument about it and said some things we both regretted." It is then that I realise why the pair looks so familiar.
"And then I kissed her." Andréa interrupts.
"And then she kissed me." Miranda confirms with a smile. "We have been together for 12 years now and hopefully we will be for many more to come."
"Couldn't have said it better." Andréa agrees.
I smile at the lovely pair. "I have one last question for you, ladies. What is one thing you love about each other the most?"
While Miranda seems to ponder for a bit longer, Andréa has an answer. "Definitely her wit. Miranda here, has a brilliant mind. She can verbally cut you down in a manner of seconds, but she can also be hilarious when she wants to. With her, even the most mundane days are never really dull." Andréa looks fondly at her lover.
Miranda replies, "I love Andréa's pure heart. She is a very ambitious person as well, but has never chosen to get ahead at the cost of helping others. This extraordinary woman has seen hell working as a journalist but still manages to be the light of mine and our children's lives. She is more positive than most of us can ever hope to be."
Touched by their admissions, I finish the recording and part with them. Watching the couple slowly stride hand in hand on the sidewalk, appearing intimidating to anybody who hasn't had the pleasure of conversing with them, I can't help but smile a little. The sun is still up and it’s a rather nice autumn afternoon; perhaps that is enough interviewing for today.