Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
“You and Brick didn’t go anywhere last night?” Jasmine asked her sister, Maura.
Maura, like her other three sisters, was tall at almost five ten.
The tall gene had skipped Jasmine. The family joked that the height and color had run out by the time she was born, since her sisters were also darker than she was.
People often assumed Jasmine was biracial because of her complexion and eyes, but it was their mother who was biracial.
They were taking a leisurely Sunday walk in Piedmont Park, dressed in leggings and oversized long-sleeved shirts before grabbing brunch on the Beltline.
“We didn’t want to deal with all the crap involved with going out. We can’t hang like you young kids on Valentine’s Day.”
Amused, Jasmine shook her head. She was used to her sisters referring to her as a kid.
“We didn’t want to make reservations, get dressed up, find a parking space, rush through dinner because it was a busy night, et cetera.”
“Young people problems?” Jasmine asked, tongue-in-cheek.
“Exactly. Too much of a hassle. Takes the fun out of the holiday. Brick and I hired a babysitter and took the kids to her place for the night. On the way home, we picked up groceries and cooked dinner together. We watched a movie and fell asleep on the sofa. He woke up first, woke me up, and we went to bed.”
“How romantic.”
“It was romantic. Trust me, one day when you’re married and have kids, you’ll appreciate those kinds of moments. We never have time alone because of those two little demons.”
“Hey, don’t talk about my niece and nephew like that, please. Thank you.”
They walked the path in silence for a bit. The weather was a little warmer today and more people were out and about taking advantage of the sunshine. Spring was on the horizon.
“What did you do last night?” her sister asked.
“Went to the arcade. With Maxwell.” She lowered her voice on the last part because she had told her sister about the shocking coincidence that her one-night stand was now a doctor at the practice.
“Dad’s prized new doctor? Does he still not know about the two of you?” Maura retwisted her hair on top of her head to keep loose strands from falling into her face.
“Of course not, and I don’t plan to tell him. It’ll make things weird at work.”
Her father did not know and would never know.
Ironically, everything he had said about Maxwell was accurate.
In a short time, she’d seen how well he worked with his young patients and how easily he won over their parents.
But he also fit neatly into her idea of the type of man she thought he was too.
Charming, confident, practiced. Exactly the kind of man she didn’t want. A player.
“Oh, this is delicious,” Maura said, rubbing her hands together. “So, you went out with him on Valentine’s Day.”
“Because I had nothing else to do. Nicholas was out of town.”
Her sister shot her a knowing look. “You could have stayed home.”
Maura knew her too well and was absolutely right. She could have stayed home, but she hadn’t wanted to. Not when the opportunity to spend more time with Maxwell presented itself.
She stopped walking, stepping out of the way of other pedestrians and resting her hands on her hips.
“When he dropped me off, he wanted to come upstairs, but I didn’t let him.
He’s absolutely wrong for me. He’s too much like Leon, and I don’t want to fall for another man who’s slick and running around with a bunch of women.
We’re supposed to learn from our mistakes, not repeat them. ”
“Jay, you broke up with Leon almost six years ago and started working for Dad. You haven’t seen the man in all this time. Are you still hung up on him?”
“No, I’m not still hung up on him, but he hurt me.
I was stupid. I ignored the signs of his dishonesty because I enjoyed his company and enjoyed him.
I want a nice man who cares about other people and their feelings.
Like Dad. Do these types of men exist in our generation, or do I need to marry a boomer? ”
Maura threw up her hands. “Slow down. Look, Dad was the right man for Mom, and even they had a period of time when they were going to end their marriage.”
“That wasn’t Dad’s fault, though. He didn’t sleep around and lie about it.”
Leon didn’t just sleep around. He slept with other women at their workplace, and when the truth came out, Jasmine was humiliated. She seemed to be the only one who didn’t know.
“Some women you tell the truth, some you don’t. A discerning man knows the difference,” Leon had said, as if he was dropping profound knowledge on her. Maybe he was.
After she healed from her heartbreak, she had decided to be like the men she encountered: Out for self, only interested in a good time.
The difference was, she explicitly stated her expectations.
She never wanted to lead a man on, and they appreciated her honesty. Why couldn’t they be honest in return?
“True,” Maura conceded, “but my point is, in relationships, there’s no guarantee you won’t be hurt.”
“Then why bother? I might as well stay by myself and keep dating the way I am now. No commitment. No getting my feelings tangled up in a man.”
“I can’t speak for you or anyone else because there are people who are happy alone.
But for me, sharing my life with someone else is very fulfilling.
Lord knows Brick gets on my nerves some days, but then I see him with our kids, or he does something really sweet, like buy my favorite cup of coffee on Saturday morning when he gets back from the hardware store.
Little acts of thoughtfulness make me want to climb him. ”
“Let’s be honest. You were lucky when you found Brick. He’s a good one.”
“It has nothing to do with luck, Jay. Do you think you’re the only one who’s been hurt?”
“Of course not. People get hurt every day.”
“Right. I got crushed before too. You were probably too young to understand what was going on, but I fell for a player myself once. He was a straight up womanizer.”
Jasmine stared in shock at her sister. “When? Who?”
“Freshman year of college. I met an exchange student from Ghana who ran track. He was a junior. Lord, I loved that man. Loved him so much I was pinning recipes of fufu and jollof rice to a secret Pinterest board I had created so I could learn to cook the foods he liked from his country.”
“Noooo.”
“I kid you not,” Maura said with a laugh. “My plan was to marry him so he could stay in the country, or I was moving to Africa with him when he graduated.”
Jasmine doubled over laughing. “Did Mom and Dad know about your plans to abandon your education?”
“No. Gina did, though,” Maura said, referring to their eldest sister.
“I hope she talked some sense into you.”
“She tried, but I was too far gone.”
“What happened, because I don’t remember any of this.”
“I finally came to my senses when I found out he was playing me and a slew of other girls. I spent almost a year devoted to him, but everything hit the fan when his fiancée transferred to our school. She was also from Ghana.”
“Fiancée? Oh, Maura.”
“I was devastated and ended up kissing a few more toads before I met and fell for Brick, but I learned a lot from those experiences. I learned what I liked and didn’t like and what I would and wouldn’t tolerate.
All I’m saying is, you shouldn’t eliminate an entire sector of men because of one man.
Now you know what you want and know the danger signs in the men you don’t want. Use your discernment going forward.”
Jasmine winced. “Don’t use that word.”
“Oh, right, I forgot that was Leon’s word.”
“But what if I’m wrong again?” Jasmine wailed.
“I don’t think you will be, and don’t think of it as being wrong or making a mistake or that it’s a waste of time. Try to find something positive that you can glean from the relationship and move on. You’re pretty and smart and a good person. There’s a man out there who will appreciate you.”
“Where is he?” Jasmine mumbled. Then, louder to no one in particular, she yelled, “Where are you, Mr. Perfect?”
“That’s your problem right there,” Maura said, jabbing a finger in her face.
“No one is perfect. Not you, not me, and not a man. Some people have colorful pasts that paint them in a negative light, but they could have moved on from that. Everyone has to figure out what they’re willing to tolerate and not tolerate. ”
“There’s nothing wrong with me,” Jasmine said, straightening her back.
Maura arched an eyebrow.
“What’s wrong with me?” Jasmine demanded.
“You’re too competitive.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being competitive.”
“You have too many pillows on your bed, grouping them around you like a—like you’re in a nest.”
“I feel like these are your personal pet peeves about me, not anything really wrong. Having a bunch of pillows is cozy and makes me feel safe and comfortable.”
“Whatever. You’re lazy on the weekends, staying in bed late on Saturdays until half the day is gone.”
“I work all week. I deserve down time on the weekend. I don’t have kids to force me out of bed like some people, so I’m going to enjoy my time while I can. I’ve never met a man who minded, anyway.”
“They probably wouldn’t tell you if they did. Nicholas has never complained about anything about you?”
“No. He’s never said a word.”
Maura’s eyebrows lifted higher. “Maybe he’s your so-called Mr. Perfect.”
“Maybe. I’m not sure.”
“Are you seeing anyone else?”
“Not at the moment, but I’m open to it. I have a lot of thinking to do.”
Maura stretched her hands above her head. “Let’s do some thinking at the restaurant. I’m ready for eggs and French toast. Race you.” She sped off.
“Cheater!” Jasmine yelled, chasing after her sister.