BWYD SHORT
Influential Person Interview
This is based on a post by @daminette-56 that I, unfortunately, saw on TikTok. Please go look at the post, it's from June 28th.
Anyways, enjoy.
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A young teen, no older than Duke, approached Bruce on the street with a tiny microphone in hand.
"Mr. Wayne? If I could have a moment of your time for a really quick interview? It's for a school project. We're supposed to interview an influential person, either personally influential or generally influential." The teen spoke quickly, hoping that by getting the explanation out quickly Mr. Wayne wouldn't decline.
"Sure. I'd love to help." Bruce smiled at the teen, remembering when his own children had done this project fondly, and listened while they interviewed Alfred.
The teen gestured towards a nearby table and set up his camera when they had sat down.
Bruce straightened his shirt, wanting to look his best because this was probably the only time he'd ever get to be the subject of one of these interviews because his youngest three were in France.
"Mr. Wayne." The teen began, clearly trying to remain professional.
"Please, call me Bruce. Only the members of my board call me Mr. Wayne." He flashed a Brucie Wayne smile, hoping to relax the teen.
"Bruce," the teen continued, "who would you say is your greatest inspiration?"
"My children. All of them." Bruce smiled, a real smile not a press smile. "They've all inspired me to do my best at everything."
"Is this what you imagined yourself doing as a child?"
"No, actually. Originally, I wanted to either be a doctor like my father or to follow in my mother's footsteps and champion multiple causes."
"If you could go back in time, what would you change?"
"Most people, I assume, would do something insignificant over again to benefit them. Me? I'd do everything in my power to get my kids sooner and to make sure they know that I love them. Because there is a lot of trauma that I could save my kids from, if I went back in time. My youngest, as I'm sure you've heard, was adopted from France after a horrific fire took her parents away from her. What most people don't know, is that she was bounced around a lot before I got to bring her home. My second youngest, was raised on these streets. He didn't deserve that. My only biological child, was raised in what I believe to be a cult in the Middle East. Which is not to say that I believe everyone from the Middle East shares the same views as his mother and grandfather, it's just what I believe to be the truth. All of my children have suffered from something terrible in their past." Bruce wiped away a tear before focusing on the teen, who also looked on the verge of tears. "Do you need a minute?"
"Oh, no, I'm fine." The teen rubbed at their eyes. "In the unlikely case of your demise, who would take over for you?"
"Oh, that's easy. My son Tim. He's already co-CEO of my company and the CEO of Drake Industries. I trust him to run Wayne Enterprises the right way." Bruce spoke softly, a small smile on his face. "My son Dick, would probably take over my responsibilities to the estate. He's such a smart boy, he would know how to keep everything running smoothly. Jason would take over managing all of my charities, he's such a compassionate kid. The girls would help out however they can, but they're all doing such important things. Barbara is following in her father's footsteps and learning everything she can to go into law enforcement. Stephanie considered becoming a nurse but realized it wasn't for her. I believe she's going into healthcare, but don't quote me on that. Cass is going to be a professional ballerina, as soon as she finishes her studies. It's too early to tell what the younger kids will do. I think Duke is thinking about going into social services."
The teen smiled, "thank you so much for your time Bruce. I'll send you a copy once I've finished editing this to make sure the background noise doesn't drown us out. If I could have your email, even just your business email."
Bruce flashed a press smile before pulling a business card out of one pocket and a pen out of another. He quickly wrote down his personal email before sliding the car across the table to the teen. "Send it here. And reach out after graduation. I think there's a place for you in the media department."
The teen just nodded, taking the card and smiled. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you again Bruce. Mr. Wayne. Have a good rest of your day."
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Bruce was sitting in his office doing paperwork when he received an email. The subject line read "Influential Person Interview", and Bruce opened it immediately. He clicked on the attached file and got to watch as he gushed about his kids. Nothing made him prouder than them, and he wished they would see that.
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This was originally written on my phone. I will edit this later on my computer. But for now, this is the state it is in.
