Monday - April 27th, 2009
Who: Estrella and Riley When: Morning Where: Riley's office What: a job interview
Estrella was nothing if not prompt so at 9am precisely, she was knocking on Dr. Quinn's office door with a paper bag of breakfast pastries and two coffees in hand. She waited for him to tell her to enter before she pushed the door open and came inside, extending a warm smile. "Riley, correct? I'm Estrella." She couldn't shake his hand because her hands were full so she moved to set the things on his desk, remarking as she did so, "I didn't know how you take it so I just grabbed some cream and sugar packs for you." ~~~ Riley turned around when he heard the knock. "Come on in." He said as he closed his laptop and then smiled when she walked through the door. Riley took her hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you Estrella, come in sit down. Let me take that." He said with a warm smile as he took the coffee and the bag and set them on his desk. "Thank you so much." He opened the lid to the black cup of coffee and started mixing it just the way he liked. "You didn't have any trouble finding my office did you?" ~~~ "Pastries," she added as he took the bag. "They looked too good to ignore." Estrella exhaled a soft laugh. "No. It was pretty straight forward. I'm finally starting to learn my way around here." She'd gotten lost more than once when she'd first arrived. She took a seat, her cup of coffee in hand, waiting for him to settle before she said, "So maybe I should explain my... situation before we even discuss... anything further." ~~~ Riley lifted his eyebrows when she said pastries and looked into the bag grinning at the sugary goodness he found there. "Now that's one way into my good graces." He chuckled, pulling out a pastry and sitting down behind his desk, taking a sip of coffee and then looked at Estrella when she spoke. "Okay, I'm listening." He said with a smile. ~~~ "You know, I kinda had that feeling." She smirked, a brow arching slightly. Estrella was quiet for a moment, trying to think of where she should begin this. "Okay, well.... to make a long story short, my brother made some very poor decisions as to how to keep the family, which consisted of the two of us at that point, together after our mother and brother were killed. And those poor decisions had a bit of a backlash which... led to me coming here, to keep me safe." She paused to give that a moment to settle before she continued. "Prior to that, I was in my sophomore year at Wayne State studying social work, which I loved, and I would really like to get back into that so ... Well basically, I am not a student here out of necessity so I could easily withdraw from classes here and move off campus, but once I hit a point in my degree that I can't take all the courses I need online I would probably a bit of flexibility with scheduling in time off for classes and this wouldn't be a long-term career move for me if you were to decide to offer me the position, more like a stop for a few years while I work toward my degree." She was possibly shooting herself in the foot here but, "I felt it would be best to be straight forward about that beforehand so neither of us went too far if that was going to be an issue for you." ~~~ Riley listened as she talked, he understood how a few bad decisions can change your entire life. He easily understood why she had wanted to tell him all this before hand. "I appreciate you telling me this before we get started, and I would encourage you to continue to work towards your goal. It won't work against you." He sipped his coffee again and then broke off a piece of his pastry. "So why don't you tell me, why you'd like to be a nanny." ~~~ "You're welcome." Estrella hadn't wanted to waste his time or her time either one and she was glad that he at least said he wouldn't hold that against her when it came to considering her for the position. She paused at the question though, pursing her lips in thought. "Well, it's nothing I had ever considered until I read your post but... I miss being around children." She paused again and then added, "I always did... exceptionally well in school so I did a lot of tutoring for younger students and I was involved in a mentor program that involved... sort of being a sibling to an under-privileged youth, which there are a lot of those in Detroit, which is where I am from." She paused, considering the question again and added, "I guess it's for the same reason that I would like to be a social worker. It's important for children, especially young girls, to have a strong role model to look up to. And I guess that I feel... if I can be the person that I am today in spite of all the strikes I've had against me in my life then I can definitely be that role model for someone else and reinforce the idea that you really can do anything if you want it badly enough." She paused and then added, her tone deadpan, "I also carry a stuffed seaturtle in my pocket." ~~~ He listened to her as she described why this had interested her and smiled slightly. His gut told him she was a good person, a strong woman which was what Riley needed around his daughter. "Mara needs that, a woman to look up to. I'm not saying her mother isn't a wonderful girl but she's...she never really grew up because of problems she's had and she does her best but Mara still freaks her out sometimes and I know Mara can tell she freaks her out." Riley sipped his coffee and chewed on his lip. "I don't want to leave Mara alone with her for too long which is why I need a nanny. I mean yes to be there while I'm at work mostly but also those few times when I'd have to leave her with Charlie and I'd rather not." Riley felt bad saying it outloud, but he didn't trust Charlie taking care of Mara day in and day out, alone. She did great when it was for short periods of time or someone else with with her though. ~~~ Estrella nodded knowingly. "I understand. My mother wasn't exactly... stable." She had not had a very good childhood. But she had flourished in spite of it, and that was definitely something that she was proud of. "She did her best but... sometimes a person's best just isn't quite... good enough." She gave a small shrug of her shoulders and sipped her coffee. "So... is there anything you'd like to ask me?" ~~~ Riley nodded and fiddled with his coffee cup for a moment. "It's nice to see that people can come out of that situation strong." He thought for a moment when she asked her question and then shrugged. "I probably should have a lot of questions for you, like do you drive, do you cook, things like that, but I'd like for you to come over sometime and see how you interact with Mara. She's not shy by any means so she won't hide from you." He tapped his fingers on the side of the cup and then looked at her. "My daughter is a little spoiled, but she's a sweetheart and I need to know that sometimes you could point it out to me when I'm indulging her too much..." ~~~ Estrella smiled. "It can be a bit difficult to think of things on the spot sometimes. But, just for the record, I do drive and I do cook. I don't... have a car here at the moment, but I have a license." She paused and then added, "And I'm dating a chef so... if I don't know how to make something, it wouldn't be difficult for me to learn." She'd just ask Bastian. "I can be blunt when I need to be so that wouldn't be a problem. If I think you're going overboard, I'll let you know." Any one who had ever spent any time around her at all could attest to that. "And I'd love to meet Mara. Any time you have the availability. Like I said, my schedule is open at least until next August." ~~~ Riley nodded and then set the coffee down. "You'd think I would have prepared and written it all down but no, I wanted a more personal touch, get my gut reaction and all that. Mara is what matters." He nodded at her answers and then laughed slightly. "Sometimes I need blunt, I get way too up in the clouds inside my head." He tapped his fingers on the desk and then scrunched his nose. "Im sure that this won't matter to you but I feel I have to tell you. I'm gay and I am just more comfortable letting you know that straight out. Just in case you have an issue with it or whatever." Riley didn't think she would but it was better to tell her now. ~~~ "That's true," Mara was the one who she would be spending time with, not him. Still, there were some questions that probably needed to be asked, though she'd covered a lot when she'd told him a bit more about herself. "I think we're all guilty of that from time to time." It caused her a bit of pause when he told her that he was gay. "Well, I will be honest and say that I've not... had a lot of interaction with the gay community that I am aware of but..." She gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. "At least I know you won't try to seduce me and make things incredibly awkward for us both." She smiled. "Besides, my... boyfriend is... bisexual so.." She was working on being more comfortable with the idea of that though she'd not really adjusted just yet. ~~~ Riley nodded and then finished off the pastry she had given him. He nodded at her words about everyone being guilty from time to time and then he froze slightly when she started to talk about him being gay. then Riley relaxed at her words and laughed. "Nope I will have intentions of the sort." He grinned at her and then chewed on his lip as she talked about her boyfriend. "Oh really, well good so you are okay with it?" He asked, knowing that...or hoping at least he would have a man in the house for him at some point...and if it bothered Estrella he needed to know that now. ~~~ "I'm good with you being gay," Estrella assured him. "I'm still working on being good with... things with him." She exhaled a soft laugh and, though she wasn't entirely sure why, she felt compelled to add, "He's quite different fromm anyone I've ever dated before and there are a lot of things with him that I'm still.. adjusting to.." This brought a slight frownn to her lips. "But, you know, what you do is your business, not mine, and it doesn't bother me at all because it doesn't involve me so... No worries there." She paused and then asked, "So your gut reaction, what's that telling you? Because I really would like to come work for you. That is if Mara would like me to." She had a feeling that the little ones reaction to her would be the real deciding factor. ~~~ Riley nodded, being shouldn’t matter but sometimes it really did so he needed to know that upfront. “Good I’m glad that it’s out of the way, it’s not really an important factor but I need it out there.” He cleared his throat and then smiled at her. “My gut seems to like you, let’s set up a time for you to come over to the house and see Mara.” ~~~ "Good," Estrella smiled, a bit relieved. "And great. Sure. Any time, like I said." She paused and then added, "I promise I'm a good person. I've.. lived a very difficult life and a lot of bad things have happened, but that's only made me stronger and.. I feel confident that I could be a good role model for your daughter as her nanny." ~~~ “How about we set it up for Wednesday night? Just after supper? She’s a good kid and will be excited to meet you I’m sure.” Riley smiled at Estrella as she talked and then nodded at her words. “I’m sure you would be, she needs strong women in her life.” Riley came out from behind his desk and shook Estrella’s hand. “I’m excited for her to meet you.” ~~~ "Wednesday night sounds great. If you wanna just email me with the time and the address, I will be therre." It would be easier to do it that way than to fumble for a piece of paper and a pen to write it all down. "And I'll forward you a copy of my resume just so you have it for you own reference." She had never had an actual job, but she had all of her work outside of paid work on there as well as other credentials that would be beneficial. She stood when he came around from behind his desk and smiled, taking his hand and shaking it. "I am too. And thanks for... meeting with me, for the opportunity." ~~~ Riley grinned and then nodded. "I will definitely email you the info and I will let Mara know we will have a guest...she will want to introduce you to every toy she owns just so you know." He laughed and then opened the door for Estrella. "I will talk to you soon." ~~~ "I'll bring Lula." Estrella smiled. "She can visit with them." She exhaled a soft laugh. "I'll see you Wednesday," she nodded, then headed out the door, feeling pretty good about how this interview went. Hopefully Wednesday night would go just as well. ~~~ Riley laughed softly and nodded. "sounds like a plan. I will see you on Wednesday Estrella." He smiled as he shut the door, feeling good about the interview as well.