It had seemed a funny story as she told it, both that morning by the waterfall and later at dinner, when she repeated it to the photographer and the agency man and the fashion coordinator for the client. Maria tried now to put what happened in Encino into the same spirited perspective, but Ceci Delano's situation seemed not to apply. In the end it was just a New York story.
In the narrative, Maria reflects on a humorous incident she shared earlier, both by the waterfall and at dinner with various professionals in the fashion industry. While she attempted to frame the events in Encino within the same lighthearted context, the circumstances surrounding Ceci Delano felt out of place. The gravity of that situation contrasted sharply with her earlier storytelling.
Ultimately, Maria acknowledges that the experience was distinctively tied to the complexities of New York life. Despite her efforts to reconcile the two stories, the emotional weight of what occurred in Encino proved to be starkly different, revealing the inherent challenges and seriousness that can emerge from seemingly funny anecdotes.
