Flight or Fright

5th Installment:

Jasmine is having lunch with her brother, Vince, who is going through a messy divorce. “You know you should have married Ann, Vince. I mean, that who I thought you were marrying which is why I agreed to be in the wedding.”
“You weren’t in the wedding.”
“Precisely. Vince, You have been in love with Ann since you were both teenagers and now that your are in your thirties, don’t you think you should give yourself a chance at true happiness?”
“You talk a good vibe, Jazz, where were you the night before I sacrificed myself to slavery?”
“You know where I was.”
“Oh, yeah!” Vince snickers under his breath. “Sorry I missed that big event in your life. You know that I would have been there if I could have.”
“Yes, I know. But back to your situation. Has Stace found out about your other properties and bank accounts?”
“No, your contacts kept there promise. Apparently they are invisible.” Vince does that laugh again but now it sounds sinister. This would scare anyone except those closest to him.

Jasmine knew what this lunch meeting was really about and it was only a matter of time before Vince would begin his scolding. She begins the countdown in her mind to the start of the speech she knew would start in a few seconds: three … two … one.
“How long has it been now Jasmine?”
“Four days.”
“And how long do you plan to leave that poor terrorized boy in your apartment?”
“Its not like he is tied up.”
“Right, but do you know anyone with the balls to mess with the Jamaican mob – let alone the Authorities?”
“He’ll figure out my bluff soon enough. He’s a smart boy.”
“Not smart enough. How much food do you have in that safe house?”
“If he rationed it well, he just ran out this morning.”
“And this is going to help how, exactly?”
Jasmine cellular phone rings. She welcomes the break in the interrogation. “Hello.” Jasmine drops her head and puts a hand to her forehead as though this gesture could magically clear her head and give her incite. “Okay, I’m on my way over.”
Jasmine opens the door to find a pair of paramedics giving Dereck a drip in his dehydrated state. Dereck has refused to go with them so they leave after giving Jasmine instructions on how to take care of him.

“I waited here but there is no food anywhere in this apartment. Do you even really live here?”
“I am leaving soon so most of my stuff is gone.” Jasmine produces a brown paper bag with a few packs of condoms inside. “I got a fresh stash but somehow I don’t think we should … at least not right this minute.”
“What are you saying? Jasmine! Tell me what’s going on, right now or I swear …”
“What did you just call me?”
Dereck sees something fierce in Jasmine’s eyes that he had never seen directed at him before. It reminded him of the time an internet predator tried to send some stalker-type instant messages to her while she worked on a laptop. Her eyes had become like a hunting lioness’ about to cease the opportunity to pounce on an unsuspecting prey. The response Jasmine shot back at the potential stalker got a full apology and even a denial of his intention to hurt her.
“You listen to me, Dereck. If you ever want to take that tone with me again and call me out like you helped in my fertility process then you best be ready to take a HELL of a lot more than you could ever dish out.” Jasmine was not yelling but speaking with a distinct level of unmistakable earnest. “Do you see this?” Jasmine asked him extending her empty arms out in front of her body. “I should be holding and nursing a part of me that was also a part of you. The doctor said it was stress or over-exertion or something, I can’t even remember, it was just after I had woken up from the surgery. They don’t know how it happened but it did and I was alone. I went through it all alone.”
“Jasmine, I am sorry. I didn’t know. I came back many nights to try to work up the nerve to knock on your door. Instead, I stood outside, in the dead of night, staring up at your window, looking for shadows on the walls cast by the candles you were burning. I looked every night and I never saw anyone there so I knew you were alone and I knew that you were hurting and that I caused it. I hated myself so I couldn’t see you ever loving me again …”
“Shhh, Dereck. Rest now. I’m going to get you some food at the store down the block. I’ll be back, just watch yourself, now.

Jasmine had not taken off her jacket so her retreat was swift like that lioness Dereck had imagined her to be. Jasmine let her boots fall heavily on the wooden floors as she walked out of her apartment building for the last time without looking back. Her state of mind would not allow her to chance turning into a pillar of salt.

Marty and Jasmine are sitting contently in the first class cabin on a plane that has just become airborne.
“Where are we going again, Marty?” Jasmine asks Marty who is holding her hand.
He switches his grasp to his right hand as he fishes their tickets out with his left out of the inside pocket of his blazer. “We’re heading to a place called Tulsa. Don’t you have friends there Pepper?”
“Yes. You never said it was Tulsa we were going. You’ll love it there Marty.”
“I know, doll. As long as I’m with you Pepper, I’ll be happy.”
Jasmine smiles for the first time that day. Something occurs to her to ask Marty. “Marty.”
“Yes, what is it Pepper?”
“Why don’t you ever call me Jazz or even Jasmine? You know that you could call me that.”
Marty does not hesitate or flinch at his response, “Because I’m not your father, Pepper. I’m your husband.”
Jasmine loved hearing him say that he was her husband so she reaches over to him and kisses him the way she knew he liked it by ending it with a nibble on his lower lip.
Marty knew that day at the courthouse was the best decision he had ever been forced to make in his life so he smiled broadly with a promise in his eyes to follow up that kiss with more later. Of course, he knew his Pepper saw that promise.