1 Another Day, Another Scoop!
“Kat? Kat, where are you?” a male voice shouted through a bustling newsroom. His British accent was firm as it filtered through the sounds of typing fingers, printers and others talking on the phone.
The man began to move around the maze of the room. He was a short middle-aged man with a receding hairline with silver temples. His gray eyes twinkled with excitement when he decided to stop at the copy editors’ group of desks at the far end corner of the room.
Out of breath, he asked. “Any of you see Kat McKinnon?”
The small group of copy editors never looked up from what they were doing on the computer. They clicked their mouse’s and stared at the screen, trying to make sure that their stories made deadline.
“No,” one replied. “We haven’t seen her.”
“Ugh!” the man yelled while he learned against one of the cubicles. “That interview she wanted is on the phone!”
“What interview?” said a young woman who was walking up the hallway with a blue box in one hand while eating a chocolate éclair in the other.
The man’s eyebrows lifted. He smiled. “There you are! I have been looking all over for you.” He told her.
“Hey Ross! I went to Sweet Dreams bakery and got everyone some donuts and eclairs. Who needs a sugar rush?” She asked everyone with a huge smile.
Suddenly, the taps and clicks turned into cheers and clapping. The British man’s lips softened into a smile at the young woman.
Everyone gazed with cheerful glee at Katherine McKinnon. Her warm and funny personality always set a positive tone at the Empire Post.
As the one of the hottest lifestyle personalities in the country, “Kat” as her friends called her was constantly watched not only for her journalism skills, but her trendy wardrobe. On this late summer day, her slender frame wore a cute sleeveless, blue belted chambray dress. Her dark purple manicured hand placed the blue bakery box down carefully on an empty desk across from the copy editors.
Her sunglasses were perched on top of her mass of long, brown beach waves. Her brown eyes turned towards her boss, Ross who was now was next her. The two of them began to walk through the newsroom.
“You got him!” He replied.
Her lips pursed and eyes narrowed. “Got who?” she asked while placing another bite of the éclair in her mouth.
“Jacques Primeau!” Her editor said with glee.
Her eyes narrowed as she continued to chew her éclair. She could not believe what she was hearing. Jacques Primeau was only one of the best chef’s and television personalities in the country.
Her nude lips curved slowly into a smile. “The Jacques Primeau?” she asked
Marcus nodded. “Yep. He’s apparently a huge fan of yours! His assistant will be calling you later to set up the interview. ”
Kat jumped up and down with happiness. She had been at Empire Post since she graduated college. She worked her way up from being editorial assistant to one of the most popular lifestyle writers in the country. She was getting so popular that she was now being courted by tv networks, begging her to do regular lifestyle spots on beauty, fashion, food, style, and the occasional celebrity interview.
Her childhood was flooded with memories of her father watching Jacques Primeau every Friday night while trying to replicate the show’s main dishes for her mother and sisters for dinner.
Another career highlight she could check off her list.
Not bad for a girl who used to live in a town with the population of 10,000. In her small town of Sweetbriar, Georgia, she would dream about writing articles and books on the latest and greatest things people were doing. From gardening to wearing the perfect flat. She wanted to be one of the first women of color that could gauge the gaudy to the trendy.
Forgetting that she had the éclair in her hand, Kat threw her hands around her boss. Ross yelped when he heard and felt the éclair slam against the back of his shirt.
“Holy s*** Ross! I did it! she squealed. “I can’t believe it! This means so much to me! “ she pulled away and looked in horror at the remnants of éclair on Marcus’ shoulder. “Your shirt! I’m so sorry.”
The editor-in-chief snickered. He took her chocolate and custard filled hand in his and replied. “It’s fine dear. Nothing a little trip to the cleaners can’t fix.”
Kat nodded. “Which cleaners?”
“Henderson’s on 9th. A little extra starch please. Helps keeps the wrinkles out.”
“Least I can do.” She said. “When I was a kid, my dad and I used to watch Jacques Primeau on television every single Friday night. My mom wasn’t the greatest cook growing up. That talent went to my father and grandmother. I learned to make everything from how to make a Cheese Souffle to Spaghetti Carbonara from watching his show. “ her eyes filled with tears as she continued. “From my table to yours…”
Ross and her said together. “Bon Appetite.”
The both laughed together as they continued to walk to her desk.
“Kat, we are all so proud of you. You deserve all of this. All the late nights, the traveling, the answering phones, the obits. You worked hard for this moment.”
“Thanks Ross. It means a lot.” She said as she went into her cubicle and sat down.
“By the way, someone at WNTV called. I assume they want you to do some sort of lifestyle segment.”
Kat nodded as she sifted through the organized chaos of her desk and turned on her computer. “What are you the receptionist today?” she quipped.
Ross leaned against the side of her cubicle and said ““Didn’t you realize dear Katherine that part of my job is to not only give out assignments to my fine staff, but it’s also to fix grammar, hunt all of you down, and answer phone calls so that said fine staff doesn’t miss important phone calls from famous people, who bring in readers and then advertisers and accordingly keep us all employed.”
Kat turned and looked at him. “Got it.”
“Good girl. I’ll be in my office trying to hunt down another star reporter.” He told her as he walked away. “By the way, I’ll leave my shirt on the desk. You can pick it up when you leave.”
Kat laughed. “Yes, sir.
