Elana Monroe
April
New York, New York
"Supermodelllll!!" I yelled out the window as I honked the horn repeatedly.
"Lana, PLEASE!" Maya said as her and Lance walked to the car. Lance was laughing while Maya hid her face. "Don't you get tired of that?" She asked while climbing in.
"Nope. Hey Lance!" I said with a smile.
"Hey Ms.Monroe, how was Paris?"
"It was amazing. How was your spring break?"
"It was okay. I didn't do much." He said before closing Maya's door and leaning down to talk through the window.
"Mhmm. Well I hate to cut our convo short but Maya and I have to go handle some business."
"Oh of course. See you later Ms. Monroe, I'll call you later, Maya." Lance said and Maya cheesed at him making me roll my eyes playfully. Lance walked away from the car and I pulled off.
"What business we got to handle?" Maya asked.
"We're going to The Met." I looked at Maya and she smiled big.
"Finallyyyy. Something other than MoMA. No shade to them though." I laughed softly and nodded my head. Maya has only ever been to MoMA since I worked there so I was excited to bring her along with me for the tour the Met. "Are you excited?"
"I am. I've been there before but not for a personal tour with the director, so I'm a little nervous as well."
"And you shouldn't be cause he was literally fangirling over you in Paris. You're the female Chris Brown just in the art world!!" I laughed and looked at Maya.
"Well when you put it like that then hell yea." Maya laughed and we continued to talk before pulling into the Met parking lot. "Alright, here goes nothing."
"Elana, Maya, welcome to the Met." Simon greeted us warmly. "It's an honor to have you both here. I've arranged for a private tour to showcase some of our most remarkable pieces that have yet to be showcased to the public and some of our newer pieces in the exhibit." I could feel the excitement building up as we began our tour. I had visited the Met numerous times, but this was different. This was a rare opportunity to delve into the depths of its collection that has yet to be showcased to the public. Plus, the director himself invited me.
As we walked through the vast halls, Simon shared the rich histories and stories behind each masterpiece. We started in the Egyptian Wing, where he explained the meticulous process of preserving an ancient artifact.
We then moved to the European Paintings section, where Simon highlighted the museum's latest acquisition, a stunning piece by Caravaggio. I couldn't help but admire the exquisite detail and the brilliance of the restoration work.
"I've read about this piece." I said. "The restoration work is extraordinary. It's like it never was damaged." I looked at Simon who was already looking at me with a smile and he nodded his head.
As the tour continued, Maya's curiosity was at an all time high as she asked questions about every art piece, which shocked me. Maya asks questions about what I do and she's been to the studio while I worked but this was different.
We explored the American Wing, the Asian Art galleries, and the Modern and Contemporary Art section, each room revealing more of the museum's vast collection. Our final stop was the conservation lab, a space rarely seen by the public. Simon guided us through the state-of-the-art facilities, where their conservators worked meticulously on preserving and restoring artwork.
After leaving the lab, we walked towards his office area which was near the front of the museum.
"How was the tour?" Simon asked us and before I could answer, Maya did.
"It was amazing! Like this is wayyyy better than-"
"Mayaaa." I sang lowly and she made a grimacing face.
"It was the bomb." Maya said causing Simon and I to laugh.
"Well I'm glad you enjoyed it, Maya." Simon said. "Do you mind if I pull your mom to the side and talk with her for a moment?"
"Oh not at all. You can have her." I looked at Maya and Simon laughed. "I'll be in the Asian Art galleries again." I nodded my head and entered the office with Simon, sitting down in a the seat across from him.
"Elana, your work in art conservation is well-known and highly respected. The Met has always sought to collaborate with the best in the field. I believe you would thrive here, and we would be honored to have you join the team." I took a deep breath as the smile grew on my face.
"Oh wow. I- I don't even know what to say." Simon smiled.
"We can discuss the details further, but I wanted you to know that we highly value your work. We would like to offer you the position of Chief Conservator of Paintings and Artifacts with a yearly salary of $160,000." My eyes widened once he said the salary. That's $30,000 more than what I was making at MoMA.
"That's amazing. Thank you so much for this opportunity. I- Can I have 24 hours to think this over and discuss it with my daughter?"
"Of course. You have my number so call me or swing by tomorrow if you're free." I nodded my head and we both stood up. Simon shook my hand gently and we walked back to the Asian Art galleries to get Maya. "Talk to you soon. Have a good one Maya."
"You too, Mr.Eloe!" Simon walked away and Maya looked at me. "Soooo?"
"Soooo let's head out and we'll talk about it over dinner."
"Why can't you tell me now?" Maya asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Because I'm hungry and I'd rather talk with food in my presence." Maya playfully rolled her eyes.
"You just fat." Maya said and I laughed loudly.
"Whatever."
Later that evening, Maya and I went to Tatiana so that we could eat and talk. Tatiana was one of our favorite spots but we rarely came due to our lives being a little hectic lately.
"Okay you got your lil oxtails and your lil drink, now it's time to spill the beans on what Mr.Eloe said." Maya said and I laughed lightly.
"Wellll they want me to be their Chief Conservator of Paintings and Artifacts." Maya smiled brightly.
"So you'd be like the boss of conservation projects?"
"Yea plus a number of other things like training and mentorship, grant writing, research- just a lot more than what I used to do."
"Okay so you took it right?" Maya asked with the same smile on her face.
"Well no, I wanted to talk to you first because I know this new role will require a lot more of my time and effort."
"Yea I know but this would be pretty cool. Like you're doing exactly what the prophet Ciara said." I scrunched up my face. "Level up, level up, level up level up level up." I quickly covered my laugh cause I knew I was about to scream in this place. Maya laughed and shrugged her shoulders before taking another bite of her food. "I'm just saying, you should take it."
"So being a stay at home mom didn't look good on me?" I asked.
"It was cute for a couple of days but now- you need to do something." Maya said and I laughed.
"Alright well...looks like you're talking to the new Chief Conservator at the Met." I said and Maya squealed in excitement.
"What Saweetie say?! I KNOW THATS RIGHT!" Maya said loudly and I shushed her while looking around.
"You are a mess." I laughed.
Maya and I finished our food and then walked to a nearby dessert spot before heading home. Life was looking good already and I couldn't wait for what was next.