Chapter 17

Amy had come by taxi in case she wanted to drink, so after 5 minutes, we found another taxi and together we made the 20 minute journey to Amy's apartment. It was a small and very cozy place. It had a warm feeling as soon as you walked through the door, I almost felt at home. Amy wanted to change into something more comfortable, so she invited me to sit down on the couch and wait. I thanked her for her hospitality and sat down. While I waited, I looked around the apartment. It had a lounge, which shared the kitchen, and there were two other rooms. One was the bedroom that Amy went into. The other was most probably the bathroom. The lounge had one large comfortable couch that I could imagine Amy sat writing her stories. Also in the room, a computer was setup in one corner of the room, and a TV in the other. A few paintings hung on the wall, all landscapes. There was a fake fire in the centre and on the mantelpiece were pictures of what seemed to be her family. There was even a cute one of her in an old school photograph.

She returned shortly and asked if I wanted a drink. I asked for a small glass of wine if she had it. She did and returned with two glasses and a bottle of white wine. She placed them on the table and poured us both a glass. As she handed me one, she took a seat next to me. I wanted her to feel comfortable and also to show her my support, so I put my arm around her and she melted into me, resting her head on my shoulder. We both rested our glasses on both my knees, but I did not mind. This moment, was the most peaceful I had felt in a long time, and I think Amy did as well. We did not speak for quite a while; the silence was very comfortable. We both just relaxed into the warm feelings we shared. For me I felt having my arm around Amy, I was protecting her. I listened as she gently breathed. When we both finished off our drinks and she had to move to pour us another, the feeling was lost, but I think it had the calming effect on Amy and maybe it was time to continue our conversation.

"Amy do you want to talk more about what's happening at work?"

"Are you sure you want to listen to me moan and groan." She smirked, knowing I did not mind. It was another turning point in our new relationship; we were comfortable with each other.

"I really want to understand what's making you so unhappy. I will listen and if possible, I could offer you some advice if you need it. And I am sure Melissa is glad I get my ear chewed off this time." She smiled again, cheering up instantly as I practically begged her to tell me everything. She poured us both another drink and then we both settled back as Amy told me a little more about herself, and about her problems at work.

"When I was younger, my dad showed me some clippings from an old Chicago newspaper, they were stories my grandfather had written. I was eight, and I was interested to read them. Dad had saved all of his fathers work, keeping a scrapbook as it were. Reading them inspired me to write and it eventually led me to become a junior reporter for my school paper. It was so much fun, and I was able to investigate stories, interview people and write so much about what was important to the school. After I finished school, my only choice for my future was in journalism. Therefore, when I enrolled in University, I studied journalism and politics. I wanted to investigate the world we live in, and how it is shaped by those in charge. I wanted to report on all the important issues that matter most to people, and even bring down a few corrupt people if I could. After University, I joined my current newspaper, and worked my way up. While I was reporting what the paper wanted me to, I would investigate stories on the side. I was soon finding out some great stuff and when my work was shown to the editor, he seemed thrilled and printed them. However, it caused a lot of backlash and the editor and shareholders got scared. They told me, they were not big enough to report on such world news, especially being such a local newspaper. It was about the time that the news changed, when The White Angel first appeared. Moreover, I was so disappointed in the media and how they handled the news of her. She had obviously come to help people, but the media took a negative view of her. I was not happy, so I spent a few months talking to witnesses and those saved by her. I think I even found a few earlier occasions she might have helped, including the time a plane was saved, the pilot did admit to seeing a person in white. Therefore, I got all the evidence and report together, and spent the next month trying to get my editor to publicize my article. He tried to say that we could not go against public opinion, but I argued that it was the media's negative approach, not what the people were actually saying; I had enough positive interviews to prove that. I even suggested we poll the people to find out exactly what they thought as we published my story and all the interviews. I also said 'that we were only a local paper and just how much influence could we have'. I just think we needed to try to be the first to realize she was not a devil or alien, but someone who had the ability to make a difference for the good. Therefore, he did. I don't know if you read the article?"

"I did and was very happy to see that someone finally had the guts to stand up for The White Angel, finally admitting the media was wrong, to finally shed some light on the matter that she is obviously someone not to be feared. You are a very good reporter. Your words really spoke from the heart as if you really believed them."

"I did. I knew that no matter how strange she appeared or what powers she has, she was a good person. Even in the real world where these types of people only appear in comics, I felt that if she wanted to, she could take over the world. But she chose to help people, never looking for praise, just doing what she wanted to do, save a life or many and then fly off onto the next rescue. She really inspired me to write those articles and stand up for what I believed, to fight my bosses every step of the way to get it published. I hoped it would have an impact, but nothing of the scale it had. When the media recognized they were wrong and we asked the people to choose their own name for her, the media took over and the world picked her name. I was so happy. I had made a difference to 6 billion people and changed the entire media's stance on their single view of one great person. Finally The White Angel had not only a name, but finally the recognition she deserves, although she never looks for it."

"You are very talented, but not only in your writing, but in your character. You stood for what you believed. You had found a cause that needed fighting, you put a voice to not only all those people rescued but to The White Angel as well, that is probably why she wants to talk to you, she sees something good and special in you."

"Well that is where in the problem lies. Since that article, my newspaper has grown into something much more. The shareholders wanted us to become the official spokesperson for The White Angel, and they wanted me to write them, but I did not want that. In a way I was glad I had changed the status of the paper, I could return to the political stories I liked to write. However, things had changed, unwittingly I became 'the voice' for The White Angel, not that I was not honored, but it was not what I wanted to do. I only wrote the article because of the injustice she was getting."