Homegrown: A Takeoff love story

Chapter 35- Going Out Sad

Asia flew back home to Atlanta on a Friday night. Since she sold her house and put all of her belongings into storage, she planned on staying with Deja until she figured out her next move.
"Hey Booski!" Deja yelled as she opened the front door and embraced her friend.
"Aw Dej, I missed you." Asia pouted.
"So, how was it up there? Did you see some moose and shit?" She asked.
"No girl, why would there be a random moose running through downtown Toronto?" Asia laughed. "It was colder than I imagined though, but I really liked the vibe and the housing market is booming up there. I'm just still undecided if I should make the move or not." Asia shared.
"Truth be told, your next move needs to be with your man." Deja pushed.
"What man?" Asia asked sarcastically while rolling her eyes.
"Kirsnick or Takeoff, or you know? The nigga you were just planning to marry!" Deja snapped.
"Oh, you mean my former fiancé that has a baby on the way with a scamming ass street walker?" Asia quipped.
"Now Asia, you know that girl is a damn mental case, and she's lying." Deja argued.
"Possibly, ugh...look Deja, don't start. I just got back, and plus I need to get my mind right for the women's conference tomorrow. I'm kind of nervous about speaking." Asia admitted.
"Alright, I'ma give you a break, for now. But, at least answer that man's calls and hear him out." Deja begged.
"I guess. I'm going to get some rest. Goodnight Dej." Asia said as she made her way to Deja's guest room to unpack her suitcase and turn in for the night.

Nick spent most of his Friday afternoon at the law office with his lawyer, Rick Bendon.
"So, the thing about your contract is that Quality Control Music owns the rights to your group name Migos, as well as 80 percent of your residuals from album and streaming sells, tour money, merchandise, and brand deals. We can make a bid to buy back your publishing rights, but if you guys want to do any future music or business with the name Migos then QC will still make money off of it because they own the name at this point." Mr. Bendon explained.
Nick sat back in his chair and let out a deep sigh of frustration over the crooked contract that he signed when he was just 19 years old.
"Aight, well I'ma talk it over with the guys, see what they got to say." Nick said.
"Also remember, you and your group members already signed the contract to perform at Coachella next year. Even if we can personally buy you out of the label contract, you will still be obligated to perform with the group for that appearance and legally uphold your end of the group contract you previously signed." Mr. Bendon added.
"Yeah, I got it." Nick agreed.
"Oh, and I was able to get the mandatory paternity test request approved by the court and sent out to Ms. Lashay. As soon as the baby is born, it will be tested by hospital staff. Results will be sent directly to you." The lawyer stated.
"Aye, you the real deal. I 'preciate cha Rick." Nick said as he gave a solid handshake to his legal defender.

After spending the whole morning second guessing if she was gutsy enough to speak about her trauma in front of an audience, Asia got dressed and put on a brave face and headed for the door.
"You sure you don't want me to go with you?" Deja asked worriedly.
"Nah, I got it Dej, thank you though. Love you. I'll be back in a few hours."
"Alright, you'll do great!" Deja said as she reached in to hug her friend goodbye.
Asia nervously walked into the Georgia World Congress Center and headed straight for the bathroom. She didn't know if she was going to throw up or pass out from her anxiety. By the time she checked in with the event coordinator and made her way backstage, Tyler Perry was waiting for her with open arms.
"Asia I'm so glad you made it. I was worried for a minute that you wouldn't show." He said patting her on the back.
"You go on in 10 minutes." Mr. Perry warned.
Asia took a few deep breaths to steady her nerves as she stood at the edge of the stage.
"Next, I want to introduce you all to a dear friend of mine. She is a survivor, a successful business woman, and an inspiration to me. I give you Ms. Asia Logan." Mr. Perry announced.
The crowd cheered as Asia waved shyly at the audience and tip toed her way to the speaker's chair.
"Good morning everyone. My name is Asia Logan, and I'm a real estate agent here in the city of Atlanta. I want to thank Tyler Perry for inviting me to be apart of such a soul stirring event such as this. Healing is never linear, it's neither solid or vapor. On most days it's something I can feel but can not grasp. Something I can see, but can't describe. Last summer I was sexually assaulted, beaten, and choked within an inch of my life by a business associate of mine..." Asia paused her speech as she recounted the details of the vicious attack that she suffered at the hands of Winston.
"I was broken to the core and I blamed myself for being the reason for the assault." The tears flooded her eyes while she tried to gather herself in front of the massive crowd. Suddenly, there was a stirring in the back of the auditorium. Cameras flashed, heads turned, and voices began to murmur amid the interruption. Asia squinted to see what the slight commotion was about. She locked her eyes on Nick standing at the rear end of the room as he smiled sweetly at her and nodded his head in her direction, encouraging her to continue.
"I am a woman just like you. I've been hurt, raped, bent, and reshaped, but I am not a sum of all the pain I've endured. I sit before you to let you know that you are amazing. You are strong. And with the help of foundations such as Wings for Women, you do have resources and a safe place within your community to aid you in your healing journey. Thank you for your time and all of your donations." Asia finished.
The audience applauded Asia's speech as she made her way backstage. Her heart was beating out of her chest after discovering that Nick was there at the conference. As she followed the crowd out of the auditorium, Nick was waiting for her by the exit doors. For the first time in over a month, they stood face to face with each other as the media photographers snapped pictures of them.
"Hi Kirsnick." Asia smiled.
"Hey Asia." He replied with a shy closed lip smile. She couldn't hold back the butterflies from entering her body as Nick leaned in to hug her, pulling her into his orbit.
"I'm really proud of you. You shined up there, even through the tears." He complimented her.
"Thank you Nick." Asia said bashfully.
"Can I walk you to your car?" He asked.
"Sure, of course." She answered softly.
They walked without speaking until they reached Asia's Tesla.
"Aye Asia, let me know if you can carve out some time so we can talk. It's a lotta things I wanna say to you if you willing to listen." Nick requested.
"Alright Nick, I'll let you know. Thanks for coming out to support me today, that really means a lot. Oh, and I'm sorry to hear about Pee. That's really unfortunate." Asia sympathized.
"Yeah, issa whole lotta wrong moving out here in these streets." He confessed.
Asia shook her head in agreement.
"Hey, you look really good by the way." She complimented him as she climbed into the driver's seat of her car.
"Thanks baby...I mean, yeah. Thanks Asia." He quickly corrected himself. They smiled sweetly at each other as Asia drove away leaving Nick with his heart in his hands.