Private Affairs by Jasmine Garner Page A

stage to accept his prize.
    “One day, I walked into a homeless shelter, looking for a missing loved one. I showed her picture to as many people as I could, but no one had seen her. On that particular day, one of the women in the shelter stood out to me. She was so tiny, so malnourished. I just had to know what happened to her; I had to know her story. I spoke with her and learned- among other things- she had a new baby. After learning of her struggles, I became curious about everyone else in similar positions: people who were down on their luck, people who were trying to get back on their feet. Curiosity turned to sympathy, sympathy turned into me wanting to do something about it.”
    He said he looked for me, but I didn’t know to what extent. My heart broke as I thought about how worried he must’ve been.
    “With the help of many, I’ve been able to start a twenty-four-hour soup kitchen in many heavily populated cities in Texas, and now we’re able to do so in this area as well. Along with that, the new Wesley Hollis center opening this year will provide temporary housing and job assistance for homeless mothers. And now I have a new goal: to help these single parents keep their jobs by ensuring they have proper childcare.”
    “Wow, he’s incredible. Why didn’t you tell me he did all of this?” Amira whispered to me.
    I shrugged, flabbergasted. I couldn’t tell her because I didn’t know.
    He chuckled. “It’s funny how things work sometimes. While I never found my missing loved one in any of the shelters, we did eventually reconnect. And although we spent years apart, our shared commitment to help the less fortunate still binds us. She runs a daycare for low-income families- free of charge for them. I brought her here with me today.”
    The spotlight shined on me and the audience gave me a round of applause. I smiled and waved in appreciation through my embarrassment.
    “So, while I thank you so much for acknowledging my work, the end is nowhere in sight. The first thing I’m going to do is to match the $50,000 donation and contribute it to her daycare center. We have a long way to go to end homelessness in this nation. Thanks again.”
    He left the stage to a thunderous round of applause. Amira was standing with the rest of the crowd clapping wildly, but I was in shock, still sitting in my seat. As soon as he sat down next to me, I burst out in tears.
    “Are you serious?” I asked him.
    “Absolutely. And after dinner, we’ll work the room to see if we can get more donations for you.”
    I couldn’t believe it. One of the reasons I loved Wes so much was because of our desire to make a change in the world. The free daycare center idea was something we came up with together.
    The plan was for me to run it, and he would handle the business side to it. He may have been late, but I was thankful for having him on board. I could put my pride and feelings for him aside if it meant more money to improve the center.
    Amira and I were all smiles as we gushed over his generosity, Amira excitedly spewing out ideas for how to send the money. Wes gripped my chin and pulled my attention to him, his touch making my heart race even more.
    “You’ve always had the best smile,” he said.
    I darted my head away, my skin heating to an unprofessional level. I had to remember why I was there.
    A catered five-course dinner was presented to us. As I scooted my chair closer to the table, one of the stitches in my dress popped. It didn’t go unnoticed.
    “Is your dress going to hold?” he asked.
    “Yeah. The slit was really high, so I sewed it lower. It’s fine.
    “I would’ve liked to see that.”
    Once the main course came, the light chatter subsided as everyone focused on their meals. As I took my first bite, I felt Wes’s hand on my leg. I turned my head to look at him, and he was playing cool.
    I should’ve smacked him away, but I chuckled instead, taking a second bite.
    “Oh, you okay?” Amira asked as I