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“Every woman wants him,” Tobias continues, “and every man wants to be him... well, present company excluded. I’ll lump myself in with the ladies for this one.” He flashes me a conspiratorial wink, and I realize something... Tobias is gay, and he just shared that with me. It’s not unusual, especially in the fashion industry, but it simply hadn’t occurred to me one way or another what Tobias’s orientation might be. But I know it’s a litmus test of sorts.
I smile back warmly. “Well, at least I’m in good company.”
I bump his shoulder with mine, a sign of welcoming acceptance, and he smiles as our attention returns to Simon, who’s beginning his speech... in French. Thankfully, Tobias whispers an instantaneous translation into my ear.
“Honored guests, good evening. My name is Simon Corbin, and let me be the first to thank you for coming tonight. We are privileged to have members of Parliament in attendance tonight, and of course, the Minister of Culture. Your presence is appreciated. I would also like to extend a personal thanks to the staff and owners of this wonderful hotel for making tonight’s festivities possible. Finally, a personal thank you to my aunt,MadameJacqueline Corbin, and her generosity in donating the items up for auction tonight. Thank you, Jacqueline.”
There’s a round of polite applause, and when it dies down, Simon continues. “Tonight’s auction is for a good cause. For as long as there has been Paris, there have been the orphans of Paris. But the reality for these unfortunate young people is no piece of musical theater or a Dickensian novel with a certain romantic charm. It is a hard, cruel life, and it is only the efforts of facilities like tonight’s beneficiary, the Sun Orphanage, that saves even a percentage of these innocent victims.”
Simon takes a deep breath, and I know how hard this must be for him. To feel so close to an issue, to have it be a seed of your beginnings, and yet to have been raised so far from it, in the lap of luxury.
He looks off to the side, and I wonder whose eyes he’s meeting, but a moment later, I realize it must’ve been Jacqueline’s because he says, “In some small way, I feel a connection with the residents we hope to benefit tonight. Many know that I was raised by my aunt, but she rescued me from the same life these orphans experience... because I was also left on the steps of the Sun Orphanage.”
A small murmur of surprise shoots through the room, and Simon holds his hands up, settling everyone and quieting chattering conversations of ‘did you know that?’ and ‘I had no idea!’
“Jaqueline rescued me, and for that, I will always be grateful. But not every child is as fortunate as I was. Most grow up short on funds, wearing hand me down clothing and cast-off factory seconds, scrambling for food, and hoping for opportunities, all the while knowing their future is more dead-end than Boulevard.” He pauses, letting that harsh reality sink into the people in the room who have never worried about such things.
“But it doesn’t have to be this way. The great British actor, Charlie Chaplin, in his wonderful film,The Great Dictator,said, ‘We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness—not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone.’ And it is true. So I come before you tonight because I believe in my heart that there is goodness within our collective hearts. That we can make a difference, each and every one of us. That while we might not be able to change the world overnight, we can do something tonight in the lives of the children of the Sun Orphanage.”
Simon clears his throat. “I’m a simple man, one of business, not creative fanciful dreams, but I can imagine a world where there are no hungry children. A world where... where the cruelties of fate doesn’t mean that a child has to grow up without hope. Where the potential Einsteins, the potential Curies, the Monets, and... huh, even the next Simon Corbin, won’t be denied the chance to make the world a better place. Now, if I could, I would ask you to open your hearts and minds, to see what I have seen, what these orphans see. To feel what these orphans feel. But if you cannot do that, I beg you to at least open your wallets. Give a few relative crumbs from your table, because to the Sun Orphanage, those crumbs are an untold feast.”
Tobias’s voice hitches, his translation pausing as he struggles with the emotions inside him, and I feel it too. With each word, my feelings for Simon grow, and I know that I have been blessed by fate. It’s the only way to describe what his coming into my life means. I thought the competition was my big opportunity, but as great as it is... it’s not why fate brought me to Paris.
Simon is my opportunity.
“As a final request, I’ve asked some of the boys of the Sun Orphanage to come tonight. These are boys I’ve worked with, mentored, I hope, and befriended for sure. I invited them so that you can see who your help benefits. These boys... they can become great, great men. What kind of men they become, at least partly, depends on you and what you do tonight. Boys?”
On the left side of the chairs, at the front, a dozen boys stand up. Among them, I identify the five boys who played basketball with Simon, all of them looking handsome and strong in black suits. If it weren’t for the sameness of their suits, clearly all bought from the same source for tonight’s event and therefore giving the boys an almost uniform appearance, I wouldn’t have been able to separate them from any of the high society boys their age.
The applause starts somewhere off to the right of the podium, and I realize that Jacqueline Corbin has stepped up to Simon’s side. Within moments, everyone is on their feet, clapping not just for the boys, some of whom wave a little bit as they enjoy their moment of positive notoriety, but for Simon and his efforts tonight.
“Then,” Simon says, stepping back, “I shall inviteMonsieurMontblanc up to be our auctioneer.”
Simon steps away from the podium to take a seat with the boys, and a large man with a round belly and perfectly pomaded hair steps up to the podium. Curious, I lean over to Tobias. “Who’s that?”
“One of France’s top newscasters,” he answers, then he shushes me as the auction begins.
I understand and sit back to watch the action as the first gown, a deep scarlet piece with a black bejeweled neckline, comes up for auction. It’s a pretty piece, a bit dated in my opinion, with a lot of turn of the century, over the top glitz, but of course, that’s Jacqueline’s taste to a T. And for all I know, it was fashion forward at the time of its creation, since it’s not one of the pieces I recognize from their past catalog.
Bidding is lively as five people vie for the gown, but in the end, the winner takes it for a hundred and thirty-five thousand euros. The number staggers me, and I shoot a look of shock to Tobias. On my other side, Molly hisses out, “Holy shitballs. I could stay at a hotel with my own private jacuzzi tub and twenty-four, seven room service delivery of wine by hunky firemen for years with that much money.”
Tobias silently laughs, his shoulders shaking, and I have the feeling things have only started.
Moments later, the next piece, a cocktail dress in swirly purple and green, is up for auction... and it goes even higher, at a hundred and seventy-seven thousand.
I sit back in shock, awe, and a little bit of anger, to be honest. I’ve been in New York long enough to understand wealth, even if I struggle to choose between ramen noodles and liquid caffeine some days. And just like back in the States, these bidders are likely the ones who will bitch about their taxes or try to shuffle as much of their money into overseas tax havens as possible, but they now offer up hundreds of thousands of euros in order to look good and gain a little bit of clout.
“I know what you’re feeling,” Tobias whispers as the fourth gown, a white beaded piece that still looks fresh and red carpet ready, goes for three hundred and seventy thousand. “You’re an open book, luv.”
“Oh!” I fix my face to one of mild interest. “Better?” I ask Tobias.
He side-eyes me and offers a tiny nod.
Tobias, Molly, and I keep each other smiling, trading quiet compliments for the gowns and sassy comments about the bidders until the last gown, a dazzling black gown that is a masterpiece of elegant simplicity. The single shoulder, the way the silk shapes and flares subtly, enhancing curves and shapes, the asymmetrical train... it’s perfection without the need for baubles or decoration. I thought my black dress was good?
This is as good as it gets.
I watch curiously, not surprised as a true bidding war erupts over the gorgeous gown. Prices quickly rocket past one hundred, then two hundred, then three hundred thousand euros.
