Bryan had only ever seen Joseph Pulitzer from afar, but being this close he could tell that the years had not been kind to him. Joseph looked years older than his age. His hair had turned from salt and pepper to stark white. His wrinkles were etched deeply in frown lines. It looked like the man hardly ever smiled.

Bryan stood at the door, but Pulitzer didn't look up from the copy of The New York Journal. Bryan didn't know if he should wait, enter the room, or just sit down. So He decided to speak first to let Pulitzer know he was in the room.

"Good Morning Mr. Pulitzer, I'm Bry-"

Pulitzer held up a finger to him signaling him to stop for a moment. Bryan froze worried he had already blown his chance at this interview. Finally Pulitzer put the paper down in a huff. He motioned to Bryan to take the seat across from his desk.

"Can you tell me WHY William Randolph Hearst is outselling me every day with this shit!"

Bryan was speechless, he wasn't sure if he should answer, or if it was a rhetorical question. Pulitzer continued picking up Bryan's resume he brought in last week.

"Denton is your name?"

"Yes sir, Bryan Denton"

"And you spent the last 3 years as a photography apprentice at The Journal?"

"Yes sir."

"And what makes you think you are ready to become a photographer boy?"

Bryan felt like he was slapped in the face. He was unsure how to answer that but tried to for a coherent answer.

"Well, Mr. Pulitzer...I think that...with everything I have learned and my experia-"

"Have you ever fought in a war boy? Have you ever lost something you thought you could never live without?"

"No, I can't say that I have seen War Mr. Pulitzer-"

Pulitzer scoffed at Bryan. He took up a notepad and began to make notes. It seemed to Bryan that Pulitzer had already made up his mind about him and was now being written off.

"But I did lose something I thought I couldn't live without... My Ma ment the world to me, and when she died my world did too."

Pulitzer stopped and looked up at this young man. Something that Bryan said seem to touch Pulitzer and cut him deep, Bryan continued.

"My world as I knew it died, and I had to rediscover my place in the new one. Life was far from easy for me Mr. Pulitzer. I had to leave school at the age of 11, and get a job hawking papes right outside these doors in order to survive. You ask about war, well those streets down there is like goin' to battle every day. I had wounds, I battled starvation, I fought to keep what I little I had every day. So no Mr. Pulitzer I haven't been to war...but I feel what I've been though is very similar. I've been on my own since I was 11, and I've never asked for a handout. I've worked for everything I've got. Now if you are going to continue to sit there and critique what you think is my life then I will walk out that door and look for another job."

They both sat in silence for a few minutes. Joe's face softened a bit. This young man had guts, he had more moxie than any other kid who had been in his office. No one ever talked back to him like this. Well...other than Katherine. (His heart sank at the thought of his girl).

Bryan took the silence as a sign that he should leave so he started towards the door.

"Well Mr. Denton that was qutie a statement…"

Bryan turned back towards Pulitzer looking shocked.

"I see you have some photos for me to look at?"

Bryan collected himself, and sat back down, pulling his very worn looking briefcase into his lap.

"Yes sir...these are a few I took that were published by The Journal."

Pulitzer took the photos from him and began to look through them.

"That briefcase has seen a battle or two hasn't it?"

"Actually sir, it was given to me by my supervising photographer, well actually he asked me to throw it away….but I thought I could get some use out of it."

"You don't give up on anything do you?"

"Not in my nature Mr. Pulitzer."

Joe looked up and made eye contact with the boy for the first time. He saw determination and moxie behind them. He didn't know it yet, but the young man was about to change the way The World would run. He handed the photos back to Bryan.

"Well Mr. Denton that is all I need to see."

Bryan took the photos back and began to pack up. Feeling for sure he was being dismissed.

"You start tomorrow, report to the news floor first thing, check in with Albert Kacer, the head photographer. You will be shadowing him until he feels you are ready for your own assignments. Ohh also before you leave be sure Hannah has all you contact information."

Bryan tried to hide the boyish grin on his face as he turned toward the door.

"Ohh and Denton…."

Bryan turned back towards Pulitzer.

"Our Wars may have been different...but it seems like we've fought the same battles"