Chapter 15
Chapter
Fifteen
A mina, glanced at her watch and wondered how much longer she needed to wait for her lunch companion. Even though she rarely took her full lunch hour out of the office, she knew she’d go over her hour since the person she was supposed to meet was already ten minutes late and factoring in ordering food, waiting for it and eating, she’d get back to the office late.
Ethan was at the hospital today and Dr. Carter probably wouldn’t mind but she was still anxious.
She tapped her foot impatiently. “Where are you?” she mumbled under breath.
Was their plan doomed before it was properly put into action?
After another five minutes passed, Amina released a heavy sigh and grabbed her purse. As she was about to get up and leave, a heavily pregnant woman waddled over to her table.
“Are you Amina Fletcher?”
Jasmine wore a black spaghetti strap, maxi dress. It’s A-line cut, didn’t disguise her rounded stomach. She was a beautiful woman with golden brown skin, green eyes and the thickest lashes Amina had ever seen. Amina didn’t know if they were false or not, but they really accentuated Jasmine’s eyes.
She wore her hair in long straight box braids that flowed down her back. She didn’t look a day over 21 and if that was the case, Pastor Caldwell was even grosser than Amina realized.
Amina stood up and held out her hand to the other woman. “Yes, I’m Amina Fletcher. Thanks for coming on such short notice.”
The other woman look at Amina’s hand hesitantly before giving it a weak shake. She then took the seat opposite of Amina’s. “Sorry, I’m late but I can’t move very fast these days and I get tired so easily.”
Amina smiled, hoping to put the other woman at ease. She could sense Jasmine’s uneasiness and couldn’t blame her. She’d be wary if a stranger contacted her out of the blue and wanted to discuss her situation.
Amina was aware that Jasmine had only come because she’d been offered money through the agency Ethan had used. Jasmine received 1000 dollars to meet up with Amina and she’d get an addition 1000 after this lunch.
“It’s okay. I’m glad you could make it.”
The waitress stopped by to take Jasmine’s drink order.
“Oh! Can I get a Strawberry Daiquiri? Virgin of course.” She rubbed her belly.
“Coming right up. Are you ladies ready to order or did you need more time?”
“I need a minute,” Jasmine responded and picked up her menu.
The waitress nodded and walked away.
“Hmm, I’ve never been to this restaurant before. I looks really fancy.”
Amina shrugged. “It was close to my job and we’ve ordered from here before so I figured this was as good a place as any. They have good panini sandwiches, and the stuffed chicken marsala is delicious.”
“This is your treat right?” Jasmine asked without looking up from the menu.
“Of course.”
“Am I allowed to get an appetizer as well?”
“You can order whatever you’d like.”
“Oh, don’t tell me that. The way my appetite has been lately I can eat a whole lot. I was told when I got to this stage of my pregnancy it would be harder to eat because the baby would take up so much room but that hasn’t been the case for me. I’d eat myself into a coma if that was possible. I know I’m going to sound super greedy, but can I order something for here and to go? That way I don’t have to worry about cooking tonight.”
Amina didn’t mind shelling out for lunch but she wondered if Jasmine was simply testing her to see how much she could get out of this. She didn’t know what kind of woman she was dealing with but if this meeting led to taking down the Caldwell’s then Amina was willing to purchase everything on the menu for Jasmine. “Sure. You’re welcome to order as much as you want.”
Jasmine slowly put the menu down and gave Amina a narrow-eyed stare. “You’re being very nice and I’ve learned that nothing in life comes for free.”
Amina leaned forward and folded her hands together. “You’re right. Nothing is free which is why you came. You get the rest of your money right?” Something told her that Jasmine wasn’t the kind of person of person one would beat around the bush with.
“You’re right. The money deposited in my account made it worth my while to see what you want. I was surprised to hear from a detective agency. I didn’t know what was going on because the guy wouldn’t reveal who his client was. But when I walked in and saw you sitting here, I nearly turned around and left.”
Amina furrowed her brows. “Why? We’ve never met.”
The waitress chose that moment to reappear with Jasmine’s drink. “Are you ladies ready to order?”
“Yes!” Jasmine answered with an enthusiasm she’d lacked with Amina. She grabbed her drink and took a big sip. “Mmm that’s perfect. Amina, you can go ahead and order first.”
“Um, I’ll have the Caesar Salad with the seared steak.”
“How would you like that steak cooked?”
“Medium please.”
“You got it. How about you, ma’am?” The waitress turned to Jasmine who was now studying the menu.
“Can I start off with the fried pickles and an order of the chili Thai wings? And for my entrée, I’d like the bacon cheeseburger with a side of sweet potato fries instead of the regular ones.”
“That’s an upcharge. Will that be okay?”
Jasmine raised her head from the menu and stared at Amina with a raised brow.
Amina nodded wondering how much food Jasmine planned on ordering.
“Yes, that’s fine,” Jasmine responded to the waitress. “Also can I get a side of onion rings with that? Oh, plus a side of ranch. In addition to that, I’d like the chicken and shrimp Alfredo in a to-go box. And the chocolate chip blondie boxed as well. I see that comes with ice cream so you don’t have to bring that out until I’m ready to leave so it doesn’t melt.”
Amina wasn’t sure whether to be pissed or impressed. The woman was clearly taking advantage of the situation but it wasn’t like Amina was in a position to say anything. She needed Jasmin’s help.
The waitress finished writing everything down before repeating the order. “Do I have everything?”
Jasmine smiled. “We’ll let you know. Gotta keep baby happy.” She gave her stomach an affectionate rub.
When they were alone again Jasmine’s smile dropped. “You did say that I could order whatever I wanted.”
“I did indeed. Now would you mind telling me how you know me?”
“You’re with Pastor Caldwell’s son. I’ve seen you around a few times. I’ve attended Christ’s Home Baptist for a couple years, until recently. Let me guess, the family sent you as a representative to get me to back off. Mrs. Caldwell already confronted me the last time I showed up at church. She told me she’d have me trespassed, if I return. What now? Am I not allowed to be on the same planet as her?”
There was no shortage of vitriol in Jasmine’s words.
Amina fully understood why the other woman was hostile, because it took two people to have an affair. And to be fair, Pastor Caldwell was more at fault because of the power dynamics involved.
“So, you admit to carrying Pastor Caldwell’s baby?” Amina asked just so she could have verbal confirmation.
Jasmine pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. “Contrary to popular opinion, I’m not the slut everyone thinks I am. Otis—I mean Pastor Caldwell is the only man I’ve been with and I’d swear to that over a stack of bibles.”
“Jasmine, I believe you. I wouldn’t be here otherwise. I understand how suspicious it seems that I’ve set up a meeting with you, but I’m not here to warn you off. We contacted you because I need your help.”
Jasmine placed her hand against her chest. “You need my help? What could I possibly do for you?”
“Well, I’m having an engagement party this Saturday and I’d like to invite you.”
The other woman slowly picked up her glass and took a long sip. “Why would you invite me to something like that? You don’t even know me. Please don’t tell me you’re one of those kumbaya type people who wants to unite all the family. The Caldwell’s have made it perfectly clear that I’m not welcome anywhere near them and that this baby won’t be acknowledged even though Otis is still trying to have sex with me.”
Jasmine’s eyes welled with tears. It was clear the young lady was suffering despite the brave act she’d put on.
“Jasmine how old are you?”
“Twenty.”
Amina shuddered in disgust. Otis Caldwell was nearly sixty. The dirty bastard.
“I’m going to let you in on a little secret, Jasmine. I don’t plan on going through with my engagement. Mark is a horrible person and so are his parents. They’re hypocrites who preach the word but I have a sneaking suspicion they’re using the church’s money to fund their extravagant lifestyles. I think they should be exposed which is why I’d like for you to come to my ‘engagement’ party as my guest.” Amina held up her hands to air quote the word engagement.
Jasmine cocked her head to the side. “Why get engaged to him in the first place?”
“Because Mark is the kind of person who won’t take no for an answer. I figure if you show up, he’s going to get the message loud and clear. What do you say, Jasmine? I’ll make sure you’re compensated for your time.”
“You’re not scared they’ll do something to you?”
“What exactly do you think they would do to me? I’m grown. They have no power over me.”
Jasmine cradled her belly. “Otis said that if I behave, he’d give me some money for the baby. I don’t know what I’d do without the financial assistance. Like I said, I’m in school for now. I started going to Christ’s Home because I was feeling homesick.”
“I was raised in the church and Christ’s Home happened to be close to my campus. Pastor Caldwell was so dynamic, I joined as a member and I’d participate in bible study. I was having questions about my faith because I was having issues at school. I went to him as my spiritual adviser.”
She sniffed and the tears reappeared in her eyes.
Amina grabbed her purse and dug through it to find the small packet of tissues she kept on hand. She gave them to Jasmine.
“Thank you. I didn’t expect to cry today. I’ve done enough of that already.”
“It’s okay. I can only imagine what happened next.”
“I’m not completely innocent in this. I knew what I was doing but when he paid all this attention to me, I felt special. I’m away from home and he made me feel good and things just happened. When I told him I was pregnant, he ordered me to get rid of my baby.”
“I was devastated because I thought he cared about me. I was even stupid enough to believe he’d leave his wife for me. He gave me some money, actually a check, to get an abortion. I went to the clinic because what the hell do I know about being someone’s mother, but when I heard the baby’s heartbeat on the monitor, I couldn’t do it.”
“Obviously Otis was pissed and he told me he would deny anything ever happened between us. He said he’d get a bunch of men to say that I’d been with them, when he knows it isn’t true because he was my first.” She broke into loud sobs, drawing eyes from a few of the other diners.
Amina moved to Jasmin’s side of the table, wrapped her arms around the young woman and held her while she cried.
“Uh...here’s your appetizers,” the waitress interrupted from behind them.
Amina gestured toward the table, while still holding Jasmine. “You can go ahead and put them down.”
The waitress, placed the dishes in the center of the table. “Ugh, your food should be out soon.” She couldn’t get away fast enough.
Jasmine pulled away from Amina with a sniff. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you like that.”
Amina went back to her seat. “You didn’t embarrass me. It’s okay to cry. What Pastor Caldwell did to you was wrong. You say you’re 20 now, but I bet he started grooming you before then didn’t he?”
Jasmine blew her nose and nodded. “I joined his church just before I turned nineteen.”
“That makes this even worse. He was someone you should have been able to trust but instead he took advantage of you. You’re the victim here Jasmine and he doesn’t deserve to get off the hook for what he’s done and neither does his wife. Yes, they’re married but I bet she knew what was going on but turned a blind eye. He spent a lot of money on you, didn’t he?”
Jasmine nodded, dabbing her eyes with the balled up tissue. “He gave me an allowance. He said it was to help me for school. A lot of times they were checks from the church. He said that sometimes the church liked to help students in need.”
“Hmm, I doubt the congregation knows about this.”
“I’m so scared to get involved because he said that he would make my life miserable and he wouldn’t give me money for the baby. I haven’t even told my parents I’m pregnant. It’s why I didn’t go home the last few holidays.”
“Do you think your parents would turn their backs on their daughter when she’s clearly in need of help?”
“I don’t know, but they’re both heavily into the church as well. They’d be so ashamed of me. I don’t know if I can face them.”
Amina had been so wrapped up in her plan to take revenge on the Caldwell’s that she didn’t think about how Jasmine would feel.
Jasmine wasn’t some jezebel who intentionally went around seducing married men. She was a lost little girl who had been manipulated by a much older predator.
Guilt assailed her and she could see the plan she and Ethan had formulated drifting away. “You might be surprised by their reaction. But I understand how you feel. What you’re going through is scary. Look, even though it would help me out if you showed up to the engagement party you don’t have to. You’ll still get paid for your time for meeting me today.”
“Really?”
“Yeah really. I’m sorry I bothered you. But just know, that even though Pastor Caldwell has threatened you about not helping you with the baby, he has no choice. Whether he chooses to be in his baby’s life, he still owes you child support. So I’d suggest you file for that immediately. He could deny paternity all he wants, but he can’t deny DNA results.”
Jasmine sniffed. “You’re right. Why should he get away with what he did without consequences? I’m going to do that.”
The waitress returned with a cart. She promptly arranged all of their food on the table. There was so much, and most of it was for Jasmine.
The younger woman hung her head when they were alone. “I’m really sorry for ordering all this. I was a real bitch when I showed up but I didn’t know what to expect.”
“It’s okay Jasmine. At least you don’t have to worry about cooking tonight, like you said. You’ll have plenty of leftovers.”
“I know, but I was raised better than this.” She picked up one of her fried pickles and popped it into her mouth. “I shouldn’t be eating these because they give me heartburn but they’re so good. Please have some.”
“It’s okay, this salad is enough for me. I need to get back to work shortly so I don’t want to eat anything too heavy.”
“Oh, okay.”
The two women ate in silence making the atmosphere slightly awkward. Amina didn’t know what to talk about beyond what she’d already planned and she was sure Jasmine was probably still embarrassed from her previous outburst.
“Uh, Amina?” Jasmine was the first to break the tense silence between them.
“Yes?”
“I know it’s none of my business but you said you don’t plan on going through with your marriage to the pastor’s son. Is he really that bad?”
Amina rolled her eyes with a groan. “He’s the worse.” She proceeded to share some of the things Mark had done to her before their engagement, like how critical of her he was and how he constantly put her down under the guise of concern. He’d brainwashed her into believing that no one would love her like he did.
“Wow,” Jasmine replied when Amina finished.
“Wow is right. I just wish I would have seen it sooner. He didn’t even propose to me properly. He just assumed that I’d want to marry him because he believes he’s God’s gift to women.”
“Sounds like he took a page out of his father’s playbook. Otis made me feel like no one would understand me the way he did. He even said it wasn’t a good idea to tell my parents what was going on in my life. He discouraged me from making friends with the other young adults in the church. He wanted to be the only one I could go to. And you know what? Fuck him for that.”
Jasmine slammed her fist on the table. You know what Amina? I will be there on Saturday.”
Amina perked up but then remembered this woman was probably hormonal. “Jasmine are you certain? Because you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“No, I want to. Not only will I show up. I have another surprise in store for that motherfucker.”