Work Text:
“A city does not often have a citizen so selfless, so generous, and so committed to educational excellence. So today, it is with great pride that I present this Key to Our Fair City to one of its most distinguished citizens, the woman who saved Lawndale High, Helen Morgendorffer!”
Daria looked around discreetly as the small crowd assembled outside City Hall burst into applause. A few press folks she recognized, attachés from the mayor’s office, a flock of city council wretches. The Lawndale legal community was also well represented; even Eric had shown. At the time, there'd been no love lost there with Helen splintering off on her own. But now it would never do to admit to professional jealousy of a woman who brought the tech industry to its knees. No Ms. Li though.
“Thank you, Mayor Taylor-Thompson. I'm honored to be here today. And I'm humbled by the gratitude this community has shown me. When I won that landmark judgment, I could think of no better way to spend my many millions of dollars than to make up the unexplained shortfall in the school's operating budget, pay the outstanding invoices for four mine resistant drones and 400 grenade launchers, and all so our Lawndale Lions can roar once more. Of course I could not have achieved any of this without the young men and women who were brave enough to stand up in court and say, ‘Yes, FaceSpace ruined my life!’ I'm proud to call their victory my own as well. But it would be a hollow victory if I had no one to share it with. I have to thank my husband, my Jakey, for his constant support. And of course my girls ...
Daria began to tune her mother out as she took in more of the scene. She’d heard most of it last night, or more of it anyway, as Helen rehearsed her remarks for the captive audience her family provided. Instead, Daria focused on who was there soaking up all the free civic pride.
She spied Jodie right away, eyes laser-focused on Brittany while also skillfully giving the bulk of her attention to whatever promises, bribes, or threats she was whispering into her cell phone.
She couldn’t help wondering what Jane would’ve thought of all this. The bunting, the speeches, the ridiculous “key,” apparently a foot-long hunk of stainless steel artfully spray painted gold. This was prime fodder for Jane’s artistic vision. Daria had trekked all the way down from Brooklyn to her 3D modeling workshop in Hell’s Kitchen on purpose to force Jane to join her on this trip. But it seemed not even the petty sublimities of suburban political hell could tear her away from the toils of her latest grant application.
Daria felt Ben stiffen by her side as he shifted his weight yet again. He’d been much easier than Jane to persuade. Jane’s lurid tales of all the hometown hearts Daria left behind probably had something to do with it, but she liked to think Ben really just wanted to see the town that inspired her first hit column.
Behind her, she heard Quinn whispering forcefully to her nephew, Jamie Jr. “JJ, you put that collar back up! It took me all morning to pop it. Leave it.”
“Gee Quinn," Daria shuddered involuntarily as she heard a familiar voice rise from a few rows back. "I guess fashion just doesn’t run in the family.”
Daria was about to turn around and helpfully observe that a popped collar wouldn't even distract from the boy’s weak chin, but her attention suddenly shifted back to the ceremony at hand as she saw Brittany handing her mother the enormous metal eyesore, and in the same moment heard a different, but equally familiar voice asking, “Whoa, so you mean that big key doesn’t actually open anything?”
--
A short while later, the guest of honor and a few friends were gathered in the foyer.
Helen beamed toward a camera as Mayor Taylor-Thompson grasped her hand for a final picture. That business over, she placed the gaudy key and the bouquet of roses she’d been presented on a table nearby.
“Come on, Kevvy. We have to circulate! Jodie told me Governor Bradshaw is here. I need some face time to remind him how important it is to bring the new NFL stadium to Lawndale. And a picture with the State Champion quarterback should do just the trick!”
“Aww, babe!”
As Brittany strode away in search of further glory, the others broke into little knots of polite conversation. Daria took Ben’s hand and led him away from the family circle to a table in the corner.
“Thanks again for coming with me.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. The chance to see the place that gave us Diaries of the Damned?”
“Well, since we’re alone I can admit most of that was artistic license.”
“Are you telling me the high school principal didn’t skip town with the school’s money and wind up running a DVD pirating ring in Borneo?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying." She tried and failed to hide a small smile at the thought of Ms. Li's infamous escapades. "It was The Galapagos.”
Ben snorted a laugh, and Daria found herself smiling in response.
“Why don’t we bring the party back to the old homestead, huh?” Jake Morgendorffer eagerly raised his voice above the low din. “I whipped up a couple pitchers of Jaketinis and a few hors d’oeuvres in honor of my important wife! And I stowed a little bubbly in the fridge for us later,” he added in a lower voice, for Helen’s benefit only. “Come on, gang! I hope you guys like wasabi.”
--
Daria had never spent much time at Phineas T. Firefly's when she’d lived in Lawndale, but as a bona fide jaded New Yorker, she could grudgingly admit the place had a certain charm. Even if that charm was simply being a place that wasn’t home that had booze. Sliding into the booth across from Ben, she spotted Quinn and Jamie a few tables away, pretending to pay attention to whatever crisis Stacy was recounting for their sympathy. She caught her sister's eye and briefly saluted. Quinn rolled her eyes in exasperation, but turned back to hear Stacy out anyway.
After half an hour of regaling Ben with more “True” “Tales” of Lawndale’s Sordid “History”, she saw Jodie again. She strode in purposefully but stopped near the doorway, eyes still glued to her phone’s wide screen. She scrolled for a moment, stabbed out a message with the keypad, and then looked up to scan the room. When she spotted Daria, she smiled and headed over to their table.
“Daria! It’s so good to see you. And your friend too.”
“Hm. Good to see you too, Jodie. This is Ben. He’s my, uh …”
“The last time she described me to someone it was 'Person I’m Seeing.'” Ben smiled gamely as he stuck his hand out for Jodie to shake. “Let’s stick with that for now.”
Jodie laughed and settled into the booth next to Ben. “I like him.”
Daria felt her cheeks warm, but she turned the subject. “And where’s young Mack tonight? I didn’t see him at the ceremony earlier.”
“Oh God no. He hates all that stuff. Once he finally got his Masters, he told me he was retiring each and every one of his polite smiles. When he figured out I was applying to head up Brittany’s staff, he didn’t talk to me for almost a week.” Jodie sighed and scanned the room again in search of a waitress. “But working a local campaign like hers was the only way to build back my rep after Senator Green tanked his run.”
“Oh whoa! You worked for Bill Green? Senator Scream?”
Jodie gave an awkward laugh and answered Ben's innocuous question. “For my sins. It was my first gig out of college. I really thought Bill was going to be the ticket straight to the top.”
“And Maryland’s ticket to better schools, cleaner energy, and stronger civil rights protections, right?” Daria gave Jodie a knowing smirk.
“Right.” Jodie finally flagged the waitress down and ordered herself a drink.
“Sorry about that,” Daria said sheepishly. “Old habits.”
Jodie shrugged her off and smiled. “I’ll live. Hey, where’s Jane? I would’ve thought she’d take any excuse to get a break from that rubber factory.”
“I’ll thank you not to refer to New York that way.”
“Ha.”
“She’s swamped working on some kind of grant. The Center’s been doing really well, but apparently even successful art spaces can’t escape the lingering specter of bankruptcy in an American recession.”
“Yeah, I feel that. Would’ve been nice to catch up with her though.”
“Well,” Daria answered, “Thanks to my mother’s pioneering efforts in eradicating zombie high schoolers, the Morgendorffers now own a controlling stake in cutting edge communication technology that fits in the palm of my hand.”
“You’ll have to speak English Daria, it’s been a long day,” Jodie answered while Ben just smiled in anticipation.
Instead of explaining, Daria pulled out her phone. After a few taps, she turned the screen toward Jodie. Seconds later, Jane Lane appeared. She looked confused for a second, and then her eyes lit up with recognition. “Hey, it’s Jodie!” She exclaimed, sliding her face shield up to rest in her hair. “Out on a school night?”
Jodie cocked an eyebrow. “I was released on license. So how’s it going? Daria says you’re busy searching for grants?”
“Yeah, I’ve got the Pettit Foundation pretty much in the bag, but that will only float us for 18 months, and next year mama’s gonna need to eat. So, tell me all about it. How big was the big key? Did Brittany make you fill it with chocolate?”
Jodie angled herself so they could all see the screen. She took a sip of her drink with her free hand, and settled into the booth, filling Jane in on the trials and travails of Helen’s triumph. Daria smiled to herself as she took in the scene, ready to chime in, but content to let Jodie tell the tale.