Homegrown: A Takeoff love story

Chapter 13- Charity

*Trigger Warning: this chapter contains sexual violence and physical violence. Please be advised.

On a Friday evening, Asia stood in her bathroom mirror inspecting the look that she was wearing to Mr. Perry's charity ball. She ran her hands over her Tiffany blue Chanel suit jacket and turned to the side to make sure that the pleats in her skirt laid perfectly. She pulled her hair back into a sleek low bun and accessorized the outfit with a pair of clear blue Amina Muaddi pumps. All the who's who of Atlanta would be at this event and she wanted to make a positive impression not only for herself, but for her agency. Just as she grabbed her purse to leave the house, she got a FaceTime call from Deja.
"Hey Booski! Let me see the fit real quick!" she yelled.
"Ugh, girl I have go, or I'm going to be late." Asia whined as she panned the camera down her body so that Deja could get a full glimpse of her outfit.
"Yasssss! Omg, no bra?! If I didn't know better, it almost seems like you ready for some new dick to come and find you." she teased.
"Girl, the last thing on my mind is dick of any kind, new or old." Asia smirked.
"Umm hmm, ok. Whatever you say." she joked. "Have fun, and please tell me all the tea when you get back!" Deja begged.
"I will. Bye girlie" Asia laughed.

Asia pulled up to the Four Seasons hotel in Buckhead at 7pm, left her Tesla with the valet, and walked inside. She was greeted by Mr. Perry's assistant and her name was checked on the guest list. She then was escorted
to a huge ballroom with dozens of paintings suspended from the ceiling by small metal cables. Waiters in white tuxedo suits came around with trays of wine and hors d'oeuvres. She grabbed a glass of white wine and a chickpea fritter as they sauntered by. The artwork was amazing! Intimate portraits, vibrant landscapes, moody black and white photographs, and abstract pieces stretched for miles around the open gallery space. Asia slowly made her way around the event, but she didn't feel like being social. Viewing the art put her in a deep reflective mood, and she just wanted to be alone with her thoughts. She was fixed on a collage piece with arabesque patterns made from scraps of fabric and news paper clippings. She stood in a silent trance in front of the mural until someone spoke from behind her back, jogging her attention.
"This is a really compelling piece, don't you think?" said the male voice. When she turned around she saw that it was Winston Lakes. He was wearing a black suit that was tailored to perfection, a white dinner shirt, and a black bow tie. He looked down at Asia and smiled.
"Yes, it is. I'm actually thinking about purchasing this one." She said shyly. Asia wrote down the purchase number and artist name on her sale slip.
"I heard about your successful listing with Mr. Perry, congratulations. I look forward to working with you as well." said Winston as they walked through the gallery of art. He was so handsome and had such a distinguished air about him that he made Asia a bit nervous.
"Thank you. So, what type of residence are you looking for Mr. Lakes?" She asked.
"Please, call me Winston. We can set up a time to talk business, but tonight I want to talk about you. So tell me, who is Asia Logan?" He asked while focusing his full attention on her.
"Well, that's a simple question that requires a very complex answer." She replied.
"The complexities of life intrigue me. Please, I'd like to know about you." He countered.
"Well, I was born and raised in Gwinnett County Georgia and raised by my mother Sharon. We were very close, but she passed away a few years ago. I still haven't really healed from her loss." Asia admitted sadly.
"I'm so sorry to hear that. And what about your father?" He questioned.
"My parents divorced when I was 11, he started a new family in Texas, I haven't seen him in years." She said, looking down at her shoes.
"I see. So, what makes you happy Asia?" Winston continued to probe. Nobody had ever asked her that question before, and she was caught by surprise.
"I love spending time by the ocean, eating Thai food, and traveling. I'm borderline OCD, so organizing makes me happy!" She laughed. "I'm a homebody, so I'm always happiest when I'm at home. I also enjoy listening to jazz, John Coltrane is my absolute favorite." She revealed.
"Wow, you're sensational!" Winston said, with his eyes still fixed on Asia. At that moment, Mr. Perry walked up to the podium that was situated at the front of the gallery space.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I want to sincerely thank each and every one of you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to support Wings for Women tonight. Every piece of artwork you see here has been created by female artists from all over the United States. One hundred percent of the proceeds from tonight's sales will go toward helping domestic violence survivors and women in homeless shelters here in Atlanta. Again, I thank you for your support and I hope you enjoy." He spoke.
They all applauded Mr. Perry and the whole room was filled with admiration.