“Not where you need to be?” Deck asked.
“Getting to eight would be a stretch,” I admitted. I leaned close to him. “Thank you so much for being here.”
He kissed me lightly on the forehead. When he pulled away, six pairs of eyes stared at us.
Marisol and Emilio smirked. María put a hand to her chest as Michael and Juan gave Deck approving nods. “’Bout fuckin’ time,” Cruz mumbled.
The emcee moved on to the ten thousand dollar level, and a few takers raised their paddles, including Britta and Marcus.At five thousand, more paddles went up, and even more at one thousand. But in the end, when the last call for two hundred and fifty dollar donations went out, we stood at just over seven hundred thousand.
“I’m going to just fill in the gap,” I said to Deck. “I’ve been fighting it this whole time, but we need to hit this goal.”
Deck squeezed my hand. “Cori, you can do that, but I know that’s not what you wanted. You’ve already given so much, not just to the event, but by subsidizing my supplies and all the subcontractors we’ve used. TheBank of Corican’t always be the solution.”
“Just for tonight, Deck,” I insisted. “So everyone can have this win.”
My phone buzzed again.
ANA:It’s a bit short of what we were hoping, but it’s a lot more than we’ve ever made at this event before.
She followed it up with a thumbs-up emoji that felt especially flat.
“Cori—” Deck began.
“It’s fine, Deck.” I gave him a soft look. “Even if I do have to swoop in to make sure this gala is a success. That doesn’t mean I forgot that I have people to depend on.” I stood and started making my way to the podium to let the emcee know I’d be adding one hundred thousand to the total. It was a lot of money, especially on top of the donation I’d already committed to, but I couldn’t see another way.
Deck followed me. “But you’re always the swooper. I didn’t want you to swoop tonight.”
I chortled as he made the word ridiculous. “I’ll swoop for you anytime,” I whispered.
“No. It’s my turn.”
Before I knew what was happening, Deck brushed past me and made his way to the front. The emcee, who had been in the process of thanking everyone as he waited for event volunteers to calculate the total for the crowd, looked at me for guidance as my determined-looking boyfriend bumrushed the stage. I shrugged.
Deck tugged on the mic, and the emcee had no choice but to surrender it.
“Hello, everyone. Apologies for interrupting. You may recall that my name is Artie Decker, but everyone calls me Deck. I was the one who had the honor of doing repairs on the Center. Hope y’all enjoyed those bathrooms.” He paused, drawing a breath. “Anyway, I want to ensure that everyone in this room understands what a special night this is. Not just for the Center, but also for…for the woman I love.” His arm raised in my direction.
Part of me wanted to put my head down as hundreds of pairs of eyes fixed on me. Instead, I found myself gazing directly at Deck as a near-silent, “I love you,” fell from my lips.
Deck continued, “And when you love someone, you’d do just about anything for them. Even make an ass of yourself in front of a room full of strangers.”
A titter of laughter rippled through the crowd. Cruz snorted loudly.
Deck grinned at him before sobering his features. “There are a lot of great things about this neighborhood. Our little piece of a city that’s a mixed bag of rich folks, poor folks, white collar, blue collar, and everything in between. Some of the best people in the world live here. But for myself, and for most of the people I knew as a kid, nothing came easy. Most of the kids who go to the Center would relate.
“One thing about growing up when you don’t have a lot is that you expect defeat. Sometimes it feels impossible to findyour place. My six siblings, they all seemed to go about life so effortlessly. But not me. I think that’s why I was the one who became ‘Deck,’ even though we all have the same last name. It was my way of asserting myself.
“Lots of young people feel like they can’t find a foothold in their own life. So they tell themselves the story of how they won’t amount to much. I sure did. Except that’s the magic of the Center.” His eyes darted over to Rosa’s table, where Reign and Jayden sat listening. “The Hope Center is the place for them. Here, kids get a reminder that all youth are amazing and can do great things. Just as they are. You don’t have to expect defeat. Unfortunately, my effort to find myself took me down the wrong path, but I’m grateful the Center was here for Cori when she needed it most, and now for kids like Reign and Jayden. Make no mistake, the Center changes lives. Saves them.
“The Center has done a lot for this neighborhood. Now it needs our help. We need to make sure every kid has the opportunity to write their own positive story. Please be generous. Let’s not accept defeat.”
There was silence in the room for a moment before the emcee took hold of the mic again. “Let’s give it up for Mr. Artie Decker!”
The crowd applauded, and the emcee took that as approval to say, “How about we give everyone a chance to raise their paddles again? If you already gave five thousand, maybe you can give another five hundred, or if you gave one thousand, maybe another two-fifty…”
He continued making his pitch. It was unlikely that we could obtain the remaining funds we needed. If Ana had drilled one thing into me, it was that most guests came to an event like the Gala for Kids with a number in mind and very few could be persuaded to adjust it.
But I would forever hold in my heart the memory of Deck trying to move the needle on my behalf.
