Chapter 26 #2
I throw my head back in a laugh that echoes through the massive cave.
Jasper nods, with a very reluctant expression, before admitting, “I’m terrified of things going wrong and catching me off guard, so I consider all possibilities before doing them. That’s why I’m never really surprised, but you already know that.”
I listen in silence, paying full attention, because I have the slight (total) impression that I’ll never hear this kind of information again. And, even more surreal, judging by his expression, it isn’t over yet.
“When I was a kid, my mom had no one to leave me with when she went to work, so she put me in school earlier. I was younger and smaller than all the other boys in my class, I couldn’t use my body to fight them, but I could use words.
That’s why I’m so good at arguing. And probably why I don’t even flinch when you insult me.
I’ve heard far worse. I’m not like that because I’m a lawyer, Julie.
I’m a lawyer because that’s who I am. I couldn’t be anything else. ”
In all these years, this is the first time I’ve even considered the possibility that Jasper might not be the confident, heartless jerk everyone thinks he is, that maybe he was just a very smart kid who learned to fend for himself as life happened.
In all these years, this is the first time I’m really beginning to accept that Jasper Hassmann is, you know… human.
“I like being in control, and I never do anything I don’t wanna do, you know that too,” he continues, his voice soft, but his tone is serious.
I’m almost certain he’s telling the truth and this isn’t another story about his mother dying in a plane crash or anything else.
“You just might not know the reasons, but you know everything I do. And if there’s more you want to know, just ask. ”
“Just ask?” Suddenly my certainty vanishes, and I start thinking I’m in the middle of a prank.
Just ask? Ask and nothing else?
Jasper shrugs. Then nods in agreement.
“And you will tell me everything?” He nods again, slightly impatient, as if he can’t even understand why I’m doubting. “Even if it’s sad, embarrassing, complicated?”
“Just ask.”
My God! A universe of possibilities just opened in front of me, and I have no idea where to start.
“How much did you pay for this date, Jasper?”
“Much less than what I had to pay in bail to get you out of jail,” he thinks quickly, but misses a tiny detail.
I press my lips together as hard as I can to keep from smiling, but my vision is full of little stars, making it hard to see him clearly, so my eyes are already smiling even if I don’t want to.
“So you finally admit this is a date, Your Honor?”
“Your Honor is for judges, Julie.”
“Your Excellency?” I suggest, and he just laughs. “Your Excellency isn’t planning on having sex with a woman you hate inside a sacred cenote or anything, are you?”
“You have a journalism degree from an Ivy League school!” He protests, a mix of shock and outrage on his face. “How do you not know…?!”
“Your Magnificence, calm yourself!” I scold.
“Do you think the Mayans would curse me or applaud me if I drowned you here as a human sacrifice?”
I’m trying not to laugh at the absurdity of what he’s saying, and a raspy little laugh escapes, tearing through my throat.
“The Mayans, I don’t know, but Roberto… Roberto would be pissed if you ruined his sanctuary. Imagine the police visiting, the mess the forensic team would make,” I fantasize. “Imagine journalists jumping the fence to get here, Jasper! Imagine all the garbage from the documentary crews!”
“You’re crazy,” he states.
And I just agree because, honestly, what else can I say? That’s one of the things Jasper definitely already knows about me.
But for the rest of the day, instead of teasing, I decide to do what he said. Ask the questions.
All of them.
And he answers it all.
Everything I ever wanted to know.
What he wanted to be when he grew up? A chess grandmaster.
First girl he kissed? Penny Bradshaw, behind the school playground.
They were eleven, and he hated it because he didn’t know what to do with so much saliva.
Three things he’d take to a desert island?
Champagne, an orange tree, and crystal glasses. Because I’m not a savage.
Who else besides Jasper would worry about fancy glasses to make Mimosas on a deserted island?
Roberto came down shortly after, bringing lunch with his wife’s help, and Jasper invited them to eat with us, which I thought that was really sweet. Only after they returned upstairs with more dishes and chairs, and we started eating, that I understood why.
Jasper Hassmann was delighted. The biggest smile I’d seen on him in a long, long time. Fully invested, fully immersed in the moment.
Suddenly I started thinking: when would I ever again be in a secret cenote in Mexico, eating traditional Yucatecan dishes, listening to family stories and ancient traditions?
You already know the answer. Most likely never.
Jasper seems to know that too. All the indifference is gone, and during this moment, he’s nothing but warmth, joy, and comfort. And sitting next to him, experiencing it all… I don’t think I’ve ever felt so alive.
We leave with our minds full of stories, our stomachs full of sopa de lima, pollo Pibil, calabacitas and so many other delicious dishes that will make Taco Bell seem like the most boring food in the world for the rest of my life.
So yeah, this is us: minds full of stories, bellies full of food, and my finger sporting a giant diamond ring that’s just a little too tight for me.
So tight that, when we get to the car, I can’t get it off no matter what. My finger swells so much with the effort that the only choice is to leave it and declare myself officially engaged until we reach the ruins of Chichén Itzá so I can try to find some soap.
“What moment in your life did you wish could last forever?” I ask, tossing out one of my questions.
He’s serious again. The usual Jasper, eyes on the road, disinterested, indifferent.
“If moments lasted forever, they wouldn’t really mean much, would they?” he answers enigmatically.
But it doesn’t upset me.
What he’s saying is the absolute truth. So I just respond with a silly little smile.
Only then I ask, “What do you think, Jasper, about me interviewing athletes while they’re doing the things they love most in life?”
Jasper glances at me, surprised.
He was definitely expecting another question about him – not, well, about me.
“Like tasting every type of alcohol in the universe with a giant inside a Mexican wine cellar?” he suggests, the same silly smile spreading across his lips.
“Like kayaking with Rafael Nadal,” I say, and he squints in confusion. I wave it off. “Long story.”
“Parachuting with Maria Sharapova,” Jasper adds after a moment of silence, making both of us laugh at the absurdity.
“Taking pottery classes with Ronda Rousey,” I add too.
And we’re laughing again.
Jasper purses his lips for a moment. I think he’s about to come up with another wild idea, but instead, he just says, slow and calm, like a fact, not a ridiculous idea I had, “I think, considering what happened in the first example and the fact that you’re a chaos magnet, that you’re gonna need a lawyer. ”
My chest fills with adrenaline, warming my still slightly wet body from the cenote and filling me with peace.
The deepest, truest peace.
“I think you might be right.”