CHAPTER 8
Three months of living in New York had made Milly aware she'd changed a little but whether it was for the good she remained uncertain, not having analyzed it in depth. She was pushing thirty-three and now living with a man who loved her who was waiting patiently for her to make a similar declaration. She knew she would; she just wanted a little more time to complete her urbanization. Her what? Milly thought how the fuck did she need to explain to herself what that meant.
Well, she'd become tougher and more decisive. There was no doubt about that. Her interests had widened, her mindsets had multiplied to imbue her with greater confidence, making her no pushover and yet she still considered she remained 'a nice person'. Perhaps Joanne Conway-Booth expressed that better than anyone around Milly, even best friend Elaine. Joanne already acted as if Milly was her daughter-in-law and that had started on Day One of their association and if Joanne was anything the one word for it was shrewd. Joanne had a genteel sophistication that was rubbing off on Milly a little. Milly had found that so much of what Joanne did was done with a purpose and yet the woman with her millions didn't have to do anything nor have to think with concern and build objectives for herself. But she did and before long Milly had found out why. Joanne and Milly got drunk one night when without the guys and she asked why she acted as if everything mattered and Joanne, slurring, told her why and it was over so fast that Milly, in her state, was lucky to remember about it next morning. All Joanne said was, "I believe absolutely that life has its purpose and I think about that a great deal."
For two days working on the biography after that what Milly wrote she later had to rewrite. It was tripe. She'd been thinking about what was her purpose in life? She would later acknowledge that early association with Joanne marked the period when she turned from being shallow Milly to thoughtful Milly who began acquiring more depth and sophistication.
Right at the time through Charles, without reference to her, Milly received an invitation to chat to a new intake of post-graduates at a school of journalism in Manhattan about being a journalist. Initially she thought the subject, "Being a journalist' was stupidly wide, that it should have been made far more specific. But as she prepared for the twenty-minute presentation, with student questions to follow, Milly became aware that the very nature of the topic being so wide was forcing her to focus on an aspect or a few aspects on which to deliver. She became fascinated with the task and headed her chat – yes chat, she thought, accepting she was no professor and not even a lecturer – and was almost blown away at the reaction she received from students. She'd chosen to speak to what she called, 'Fitting Oneself Up' and described pragmatically that entering journalism was being like a spoke on a bicycle wheel.
To Milly's astonishment the school invited her back to speak to senior students and was booked in a six-lecturer series with payment attached. An assistant professor in the room for her first presentation wrote in the six-lecture proposal that the decision to engage Milly was largely based on student reaction expressed succinctly by Muriel Oakland when thanking Milly... 'You have been a bombshell of enlightenment'.
Milly showed the letter only to two people. Carlson glanced at it and hugged her and said, "This is excellent Milly, a real credit to you. Congratulations." In contrast his mother read it, word by word and then smiled and said. "You know what this is telling you darling, don't you?" And before Milly managed to grope for a reply Joanne told her: "It's saying you are ready to fly." It was a long time before Milly went to sleep that night, her mind working like waves crashing on to a beach.
Two days later the editor of one of those trendy new cityscape magazine that survive, if lucky, for ten issues before closing down called. The editor of 'News York', Pearl Whitehead, said her daughter at journalism school had heard Milly's presentation and suggested her for the insert the magazine had planned for its 6th issue involving five new New Yorkers writing about immersing or being submerged in their new hometown... 'the most cosmopolitan and important city on the planet'.
"We were running with five invited contributors but advertising support is great so we would like to add you as the sixth contributor."
"Me?"
"You are the person I'm talking to," Pearl said kindly. Jamie my daughter said you're a biographer" and so the conversation continued until Milly agreed to contribute.
The warm Pearl then turned into a cold-hearted editor-publisher. "We are on an extremely tight schedule. I need your copy on my desk in forty-eight hours from now. Ten thousand words. A photographer will call soon after your contribution has been subbed."
"Very well."
"Oh god, someone who's willing to perform. Thank you darling," Pearl said, sounding hugely relieved.
Joanne delivered her submission but Pearl was too busy to see her so Milly scuttled back to her office in Chelsea to catch up on lost time. Two hours later Pearl called.
"God, you'll get us into deep shit."
"What?"
The other five writers had raved on about the color and excitement of living in New York, three of them living on Manhattan. Milly had been the only one to go in the other direction.
"Darling, are you sure you want to describe Manhattan as 'a delightful collection of villages'. That could get you and me run out of town."
"Just light subbing please Pearl and leave that quotation stand. It's my view. You are welcome to put your apology in brackets alongside that comment."
"Darling, I love it. You placement is tail-end Charlie er Charlene. Overall it has the greatest impact with some marvelous whiplashes. But be prepared to have to defend yourself publicly."
"What?"
"Rest easy darling. When it comes I'm confident you'll deal with it well."
Lilly was about to meet Susan and Debrecini after a family conference. Her mind was only partly switched on and she thought Pearl was talking about angry readers writing Letters to the Editor.
* * *
Susan sat white-faced and Lilly's heart lifted. Susan said, "The family agreement is that mother now manages the project, as we all want the book published."
Debrecini spoke briefly and Lilly said, "Well that's settled. I must get back to work."
"Wait, where's the tongue-lashing?"
"You appear contrite Susan and that's enough for me. Warts and all from now on, eh?"
"Yes, I've spoken to some of my friends and they all expressed amazement about the demands I'm made on you and agreed I was ruining my story."
"Thank you Susan. Could we meet at Angelo's for a quite drink at 3:00 today? One of your friends called earlier and suggested I ask you about breaking into the Mile High Club the first time you fly to Europe."
