Over. (This. Is. Not. Over. #2)

by Dianne, Shannon

  First: Jasmine’s breasts were completely bare, her nipples exposed.

  Secondly: they each had a hand raised to the camera with a post-it note attached to them. Jasmine’s read: White boys rock. Jacob’s read: Black girls rule. (Those are the silly things you do when you’re still in school and have no concept of real-world consequences. Oh god, silly. Rossi’s rubbing off on me.)

  The third problem was the date in the bottom left hand corner of the picture. The picture was taken on February 13th; Jacob was married to Winnie on March 22nd.

  That picture would have posed a shit load of problems, particularly for Jasmine and the media. Jasmine, the epitome of chasteness, would have been humiliated had a naked picture of her been released. She would have been even more humiliated by her White boys rock post it note as she is married to a black man. Second, it would have proven that Jasmine was fooling around on Marlon, a man who would eventually become her husband. (And trust me, the media would have confirmed, in some way or another, that those two were indeed dating at the time of the picture.) Third, Winnie and Jacob had been engaged for at least six months before that picture was taken. The date would have proven that Jacob was cheating on Winnie while they were engaged. Guess what that made Jasmine.

  His mistress.

  When I saw the picture, I remembered why Jasmine hates all things Blair. It’s not just that she and Jacob didn’t work out. Valentine’s Day weekend, which was the weekend that picture was taken, Jacob lied to her and said that he was pulling out of the engagement and then this muthafucka had me cosign for his ass:

  “Don’t lie to me Malcolm.” Jasmine said to me while we rode back from the airport together. I can remember it clear as day, it was a Friday morning and she had just come in town. I picked her up from the airport because Jacob had a class. “Is he really pulling out of this forced marriage?” She sounded appalled at the archaic practice of arranged marriages.

  “Of course he is.” I said, just the way Jacob taught me.

  “Are you lying?” She cast a wary eye on me.

  “Come on Jasmine, am I a liar?”

  I was lying. Jacob and I both lied to her. She’s hated us ever since. She’s also never trusted us ever since. Red told me that Jasmine said: I wonder what Laura would say about this. I’m sure her story would be different. Jasmine was speaking from the heart. She was speaking from experience. I can’t fault her for not believing in me. I can’t fault her for trying to spare Red the heartache that she went through.

  Now, would the release of this picture have been a deal-breaker for Winnie and Jacob? No. For Jasmine and Marlon? No. Humiliating for Jasmine? Yes. Embarrassing for Winnie? Yes. Did Jasmine want that picture to come out? Hell no. Did Jacob and Winnie want that picture to come out? Absolutely not. The deal breaker for Winnie was hearing that Jacob might still be in love with Jasmine, not the fact that he cheated on her. When it comes down to it, most people are worried about appearances. Laura knew this and she capitalized on it.

  According to Laura’s diary, on December 3rd, Laura came to my office to ‘talk some sense into me’. She found me in Jacob’s office alone, searching for some files he accidentally left behind after leaving work. She tried to argue with me, I ignored her and made the fatal mistake of turning my back on her. She happened to glance down on Jacob’s desk and noticed the picture of him and Jasmine. (Obviously, he had just been looking at it before he left work and didn’t think to put it away.) She took it and, well, we know what happened after that.

  I remember that night clearly because Jacob texted me about heading to Piranha’s. When I showed up, Red and Jon were there together. Do you remember?

  Jacob 6:34 pm: Drinks @8…Piranha.

  Jacob: 6:50 pm: You’re not answering … Laura still there?

  Blair 7:01 pm: Just calmed her down and got her to leave.

  Jacob 7:01 pm: Damn dude, she’s obsessed

  Blair 7:02 pm: Be there at 8, I need a fucking drink.

  Admitting that I dropped the ball that night in Jacob’s office is an embarrassment. I let him down, I could have prevented this. I usually have eyes in the back of my head but I didn’t see Laura take that picture. She’s the one person I couldn’t save, she’s the one person who found my blind-side. Laura, as it appears, is the only person alive who can verify that I’m simply human. I have to believe that she was destined to come into my life to keep me humble. Laura is my humility.

  While the picture would have been an embarrassment, the real issue for me was the diary. I read it and let me just say, Laura has a bestseller on her hands. The diary would have ruined the Family. I ended up getting the entire story from her ‘Agent’ once I returned to Boston. (I also read those creepy ass notes that she wrote to Red. Laura was almost on the verge of snapping.)

  To me, Laura’s motives were simple. She wanted someone to feel how she felt. Humiliated. Ruined. She therefore resorted to blackmail. But Laura knew that both Winnie and Jacob would have shut that blackmail shit down immediately. So she went for a weaker link.

  But the weak link wasn’t as weak as she thought. Not everyone is strong in the traditional sense of the word. The weak link was strong enough to hand over a half a million in cash, without hesitation. Bold enough to take a chance on flying Laura down to Hilton Head so that she could drive our asses crazy. And (and this is my favorite reason) this supposed ‘weak link’ was determined enough to shut this shit down, before the media found out. He’d do anything for his woman. Just like me. Even when she was wrong. Just like me.

  Friend

  9:45 p.m.

  There really isn’t much to say.

  I tried my best to get Laura and Danielle together. While Jasmine and I were in Hilton Head last Christmas, I would say little things to her like:

  “This whole fire story is bad for Danielle. I know she likes Malcolm but he did own Laura’s house. I don’t want to start trouble but don’t you think it would be interesting to hear Laura’s side of the story? I’d hate for Danielle to be involved with a guy who’s no good.” Jasmine agreed and even mentioned it to Danielle one day while they were at lunch.

  “Didn’t go well at all.” Jasmine said to me once she returned. “Danielle just refuses to listen to reason.”

  See, I wanted Danielle to go to Laura on her own. I wanted her to look for Laura, I didn’t want to be the one to bring Laura to her. I didn’t want my name involved in this at all. From the way Laura was acting I knew it was only a matter of time before she cracked. She was off, that much was obvious. I had to think of something.

  “Let’s go.” I said to Jasmine that night at Italiano’s after dinner. “We don’t belong here, this isn’t our crowd, it’s Danielle’s. Jon’s already heading back to Marla, let’s leave and join them in New York for a few days.” Jasmine agreed, she of course, was feeling uncomfortable around Jacob. But I was sick over Laura. I was so desperate, I was thinking crazy things. I was thinking of hiring a hit man, going to the police, even going to Jon and Matt so that they could help me in some way. But I just couldn’t stand the thought of anyone else knowing about Jasmine and Jacob. I couldn’t stand the thought of Jasmine cheating on me with a Blair. I couldn’t stand the thought that all of our women seemed to prefer Blairs over us. It’s embarrassing. Jasmine would have never taken a picture like that with me. Never.

  I knew that things were about to come to an end when I left Laura outside of Italiano’s and walked back inside. Jacob was staring directly at me. He knew. Malcolm was heading right for Danielle. He knew too. Winnie shot me an icy look before looking at Jacob. She knew. When Malcolm, Jacob and Winnie all went outside with Danielle, all doubt was settled. They were about to end this nightmare of mine. Thank goodness.

  I have to admit, I’m like the rest of Boston, I assume that the Blairs are programmed to fix things. After all, that’s their job. That’s what they’re known for. I prayed they’d fix this for Jasmine and when they did, I didn’t want to be anywhere around. So you can call me a punk but I d
ecided to take Jasmine and run. I figured at that point that if something happened in Hilton Head, at least Jasmine and I wouldn’t be there. I just knew that things would implode soon and I wanted Jasmine and me far away. I wasn’t thinking about the future, I was just thinking about the here and now.

  And everything did implode.

  Malcolm called me a week later asking to meet for drinks. Of course I obliged. We sat at a bar and he told me that Laura had written letters that he read along with her diary. He wanted to know my take on the whole thing. I told him the entire story of how Laura found my real estate office on the internet, called my work cell, showed me the picture, blackmailed me and began forcing me to arrange a meeting with Danielle. I made sure to let Malcolm know that I refused to arrange it because I was scared for Danielle’s safety. Laura was clearly unstable and I wasn’t sure what she would do if she got Danielle alone. He warned me that there were probably copies of Jasmine and Jacob’s picture, though he went through every PO Box and safe deposit box Laura owned. He even looked through the rubble to see what he could come up with, though he came up with nothing. The last thing he told me was for me to come to him if something like this happens again. I told him that I would. He thanked me for never arranging the private meeting, told me that he understood why I did what I did, and then slipped me a check for $250,000.

  All is well.

  The past is now behind me. Right now, I’m swinging Jasmine around on this ballroom floor because she and I are happy. We were made for each other. Jacob may be a Blair, but he wasn’t born to be the husband of Jasmine Harlow. I, Marlon Kyles, was born to be the husband of Jasmine Harlow. That means that I was born to guard Jasmine Harlow with my life. No matter if she’s right or wrong. No matter if she was fooling around on me while we were dating. That was the past, that’s over. What’s done is done. So there was no need to tell her about the picture. There was no need for me to mention it. What would have been the point? Why would I have handed over a quarter of a million dollars to keep that picture a secret and then fight with her about it? No. I’ll never mention that picture to Jasmine. One of my main priorities is to always protect her. Even if it’s from herself.

  “I can’t believe I’m actually enjoying myself.” Jazzy says to me as she smiles and smooths over my tuxedo jacket.

  “Admit it baby, the Blairs can throw a party.”

  “Eh,” she shrugs and glances around as I spin her. “I liked our reception better. It was just you, me, friends and family. Everyone who really matters.”

  “Simple.” I say as I lean down and kiss her lips.

  “Yep.” She says against my mouth, with her eyes closed. “And that’s just the way I like it.”

  Danielle

  9:50 p.m.

  As I stand here, in Malcolm’s arms, swaying to this music, let me try to explain some things. First, let me say, that I haven’t read the diary or letters. I prefer to be blissfully ignorant; we all know I get paranoid easily. Second, let’s just be honest here, this whole thing is my fault. Laura went on a rampage because I burned her home down and froze her accounts. It’s as simple as that. Malcolm refuses to acknowledge that any of this is my fault but we all know it is. The only thing that wasn’t my fault was that picture.

  I won’t be mentioning to Jasmine that I saw that picture, I’m not sure if she could bear knowing that her and Jacob’s love story was made public. I do feel sorry for her though. Jacob isn’t perfect but, from the stories Malcolm has told me, she seemed to love him. Yet, I do think that Marlon is a better match for her, he’s simple and sweet. There’s nothing wrong with simple and sweet. I can remember, there was a time when I slept in my bedroom last year, when I was in the middle of being stalked and I dreamed of New Orleans, college days and beignets:

  “Here, Danny.” Jon said, he already had my beignet. I ate it and then looked around. I love it here. I love Louisiana. I always want to stay here. It’s simple and sweet here. I took another bite of my beignet. Simple and sweet…

  Jasmine is a lucky girl in a way; she gets to live with simple and sweet for the rest of her life. Jacob is charming but he isn’t always guided by his conscience, that much is obvious … after all, he is a Blair. He, like Malcolm, is a bullshitter. While I can handle such a man, I’m not sure if Jasmine had the vision of marrying a Blair Bullshitter. I don’t think she would have had the stomach to do what Winnie and I did. As a matter of fact, I know she wouldn’t have.

  But for the past ten months, I can’t help but remember a conversation that Jasmine and I had last spring in Boston, while she and I rode in a cab back from Roxbury and away from the shitty dive with Taye Diggs, the bartender. Remember that? I was sick over the fact that my marriage was crumbling. It was the night that Lola called and asked me to come to Piranha Sushi Bar. If I would have gone, I would have been reacquainted with Malcolm that very night. Jasmine knew that I had met a new friend named Lola and she knew that Lola was a Blair by marriage. Jasmine heard Lola speaking through the phone, begging for me to come hang out with her and a few of her friends. I agreed to go and then changed my mind at the last minute:

  “Earth to Danielle.” Jasmine giggled and leaned her head back on the seat. Jasmine, with her neck full of pearls and her polka dot A-line dress, the quintessential 1950’s housewife.

  “Cabbie, can you drop me off in Beacon Hill before you head to Watertown.” I said before I closed my eyes, tears threatening to fall. I just wanted to go back to my condo and feel utterly sorry for myself.

  “I thought I heard your friend ask you to come to a sushi bar?” She said as she looked at me and then bit her bottom lip.

  “What’s that look about?”

  Jasmine stared for a moment longer and then slid her mouth into a smile.

  I thought about that moment plenty of times after I was reconnected with Malcolm. I just assumed that in the cab that night, Jasmine was on the verge of telling me about my secret love story. Yet, now that I’ve seen that picture, perhaps, in the cab that night, Jasmine was on the verge of telling me about hers.

  Danielle

  Epilogue

  4 Crazy Ass Years Later

  Carlo Rossi became the President of the United States, his wife Eva our First Lady and Cynthia our Mistress. There isn’t anything exceptionally wonderful about Rossi, other than his crew. As it was before, so it is now that Rossi’s connection with the Blairs, Marchs, Rouges and Yates (Winnie’s family) is the reason America’s so enthralled with him. As a journalist for The US News once wrote:

  “President Rossi has ushered America into a glamorous and decadent stage of its existence. Capitol Hill is now filled with velvety Danes, cinnamon-haired Creoles, nasally New Englanders, gold medal heroes and brooding Catholics. The men are as tall as Goliath and as handsome as David, the women are as faithful as Sarah and as alluring as Bathsheba and all the kids are bad as hell.”

  Eva Rossi is actually becoming quite a star here in America especially with her First Lady cause. She champions elderly Americans in making sure that they stay healthy and active until the day they die. First Ladies having a cause is a time honored tradition: Nancy Reagan told druggies to Just Say No! Laura Bush told dumbasses to Read! Michelle Obama told porkers Let’s Move! Eva Rossi’s telling old folks to Come on!

  But when Rossi left his Senate seat, there was a vacancy. Guess who filled it.

  Cadence. Let me just say that Cadence and I have grown really close over the past four years. Cadence, the man Malcolm likes to call a dumbass, actually majored in government and The Classics at Cambridge. Cadence isn’t a dumbass; he’s just a sensitive soul. And unfortunately, when it comes to men, sensitivity is never considered a noble virtue. But, since I live with a ‘man’s man’, I’ve come to appreciate Cadence’s warmth. As a matter of fact, he and I have started our own book club. I never knew he was an ardent fan of Shakespeare! Each Sunday, one of us picks a piece of classical literature to analyze. We re-read it and then dissect it until we come to the conclusion that we
could have written it better. Each Thursday we Skype each other to talk about it:

  “That Apollonius Rhodius was a joke.” Cadence said during one of our book-club meetings.

  “Took the words right out of my mouth, Cadence.” I said, sipping a glass of Malbec. “Who does he think he is writing the Argonautica!”

  “Who’s a joke?” Malcolm asked while walking past me and into the kitchen with a basketball in his hands.

  “Apollonius Rhodius.” I yelled out.

  “Who?”

  “Ugh. Do you see what I have to live with Cadence?”

  “Well, no offense Danny but my brother has always been sort of a dumbass.”

  “Yeah … well, what can you do …”

  Believe it or not, there have been no sex scandals involving Cadence of any kind. I know, we’re all shocked too. We all have our own theories as to why he’s been good these past few years, but here’s mine: He’s finally found something he loves so he no longer has to go from person to person searching for it. Cadence is a lover, he’s not a creep. He’s sentimental, he’s not a playboy. I think that he felt empty with his work as a lawyer. Being a politician suits him much better. He can smile, joke, laugh, be silly, kiss babies, be sentimental, quote people and get this, it’s all a part of his job. This is what he’s supposed to be doing. He’s in heaven. He even confided in me last week that he is completely, unabashedly and inexcusably in love with his wife now: