Color Me Blind (A Divine Love Story Book 1)

by Melinda Michelle

  Vanessa just stared at Lisa, so she explained why Blake said he kissed Jasmine on the nose. Vanessa was heated. She knew better. You could never trust white people. They would always show their true colors. She was fond of Blake, but she was about to cut this off before it got any worse.

  Justin came into the room due to the commotion, “What’s going on?”

  Vanessa practically yelled out the recap of what Lisa had confessed. A look of strong concern spread over his face.

  Justin was a spiritual man and he never jumped to conclusions. He could feel the Holy Spirit giving him a sense of peace. He knew he had to take a different approach to what was going on. There was something bigger at stake. He tuned in to listen to the spiritual guidance.

  Justin asked, “Where is your husband now?”

  Lisa said, “I put him out of the house and I had the locks changed. I honestly don’t know where he is. I told Blake he wouldn’t be back if he didn’t get some help for his drinking and anger issues.”

  Vanessa was livid, “I don’t care what kind of help he gets. My baby is never setting foot in that house again. As a matter of fact you can get Blake and get the hell out. You’re lucky I don’t press charges on that bastard you married.”

  Lisa tried to calm the situation down, “Listen I know this is bad, but we can’t stop them from seeing each other. That’s the one thing they asked me is to make sure they could still be friends and Frank will get help.”

  Unable to stop herself Vanessa slapped Lisa. Justin jumped to grab his wife. He told her to calm down. Lisa grabbed her cheek and accepted the slap. In any other situation she would have returned the gesture but the guilt she carried made her unusually passive for the moment.

  Lisa warned, “Vanessa, keep your hands to yourself.”

  Vanessa replied, “Do not defend that racist prick to me. Did you think we didn’t know he doesn’t care for black people? We aren’t that stupid Lisa, but if I had known he would have the gall to put his hands on my child she would have never set foot in that house. My child will never see any of you again.”

  Jasmine and Blake overhead everything as they sat at the table with their untouched bowls of cereal. Once the yelling escalated Jasmine grabbed his hand and pulled him to the pantry.

  “Okay Blake we are gonna have to run away. My mom is never gonna let me see you again.”

  She opened the pantry door and grabbed a grocery bag.

  She said, “Help me get some snacks.”

  They filled the bag with cookies, chips, crackers and juice boxes. Then they took the back stairway up to Jasmine’s room.

  They ran in, but she didn’t close the door all the way. In her rush she didn’t notice. She sprinted to her closet and pulled out her little pink suitcase and she grabbed her book bag.

  Throwing everything on the bed she said, “Don’t just stand there, we have to hurry.”

  “Okay what do you want me to do?”

  “You start getting clothes for us?”

  “For us, Jasmine I can’t wear girl clothes!”

  She let out a frustrated sigh, “Blake we don’t have time to go back to your house. Plus you’re always calling me a tomboy so just get some of my clothes that can pass for boy clothes too.”

  He looked at her like she was crazy. She grabbed him and pulled him to her mirror.

  “Look at us B. We’re almost the same exact size. I’m just taller ‘cause my hair.”

  “Jaz, I really don’t wanna wear girl clothes and what about shoes?”

  She looked down at their feet.

  “We will just wear the sneakers we have on now. Come on, we have to hurry.”

  He asked, “Okay well what about money?”

  She grinned, “My brother Shawn keeps his money in his sock drawer. One time I saw and he has other monies besides one dollar bills.”

  Blake’s eyes widened.

  “Jasmine that’s stealing!”

  “I know, but we will just leave a note that says we’re sorry. When we get older we can find a way to earn money and pay him back.”

  “Jasmine, we are gonna get in so much trouble.”

  “Not if we don’t get caught. I know it’s wrong, but we don’t have no choice and we need to hurry.”

  “How long are we gonna run away for?”

  That was something she hadn’t thought about. She pondered it for a moment then said, “For two years and then everybody should be okay by then.”

  Blake thought that was a really long time but said, “Okay Jaz. I trust you.”

  He kissed her on her nose and they laughed. They continued to pack clothes and put the snacks into her book bag.

  Outside her room door her sixteen-year-old brother Shawn had heard every word of their plot. He just happened to be walking out of his room when they ran by and he wanted to know what they were up to in such a hurry.

  Not only was he was pissed that Jasmine knew about his stash, but that she was planning on stealing it. On the other hand it made him kind of proud that she had found a way to think on her feet. He thought Blake was a cool little dude and he didn’t have a problem with him. He realized them running away had something to do with all the yelling going on downstairs.

  He left them to finish their escape plan and went to tell his other two brothers to go outside and watch for them as they made their exit, but not to let them go any further than the end of the street. He headed downstairs to talk to their parents. He saw his dad holding his mom and Mrs. Lisa holding her face. Whatever was going on it was bad because he was sure his mom hit her.

  “Hey guys, guys,” he yelled.

  They all looked over at him.

  “I don’t know what happened, but whatever it is it made Blake and Jasmine decide to run away.”

  They looked at him like he had two heads. He explained to them what he’d overheard. Vanessa was just outdone.

  “That sneaky behind little boy has convinced my baby to run away with him? I knew he was a bad influence.”

  Lisa was okay with Vanessa taking shots at her, but not at Blake. She put her finger in Vanessa’s face, “Now you wait just a minute.”

  Shawn interrupted them both, “Actually Jasmine seemed to be the brains behind the operation and Blake was the muscle. She had him doing all the heavy lifting.”

  Justin couldn’t help it, he had to laugh. He could just see the two of them trying to get away all because their friendship was in jeopardy. Vanessa looked at him like she wanted to slap him too but she wasn’t crazy. Lisa laughed because while they were ready to rip each other to shreds their nine year olds were plotting a getaway.

  Shawn joined in and Vanessa snapped, “I’m going upstairs to put a stop to this mess.”

  She stomped off upstairs and Justin said to Lisa, “Why don’t you have a seat and let’s just see if we can get to the bottom of this.”

  Vanessa came running down the stairs, “Their gone! They aren’t anywhere upstairs!”

  Lisa and Justin got to their feet.

  Before panic could ensue Shawn spoke, “Calm down, I sent Michael and Kevin out there to head them off in their escape.”

  The front door opened with Michael dragging a red-faced Blake by the collar with a pink suitcase in his hand. Kevin was pulling an irate Jasmine by one arm. The other was dragging her book bag behind her. They released them once they were inside and stood guarding the door. Jasmine and Blake were petrified. They knew they were definitely in deep trouble now.

  Chapter 4: Can’t We All Just Get Along

  Justin took control of the situation, “Okay, now let’s just all calm down. Everybody take a seat.”

  Everyone obliged. Blake sat with his mom in a brown leather chair while Jasmine sat between her parents on the matching love seat. The three teenagers took a seat on the sofa that completed the set.

  Justin asked Jasmine, “Why did you guys run away?”

  Jasmine was in tears, “Because you guys won’t let us be friends. It’s not our fault his daddy is mean.
It’s not fair daddy.”

  Lisa’s heart broke for her. She held on to Blake tighter.

  Justin replied, “Well no, I guess it’s not your fault, but honey what Mr. Jessup did to you and Blake was very bad. We are just concerned for your safety.”

  “But Mrs. Lisa was really nice. She cried too and she said she wouldn’t let it happen no more. And she had her gun. She’s not scared of Mr. Jessup.”

  Justin realized what Lisa must have gone through in order to pull a gun on her own husband to protect her offspring. He felt so bad for his baby girl. He could literally choke the life out of Frank for putting his hands on his child, but he didn’t have a problem with her and Blake being friends.

  Vanessa spoke up, “Jasmine, I’m sorry that you are going to lose your friend, but your safety is more important and we simply cannot allow you back over there.”

  Lisa begged, “Vanessa, I know this is horrible and I would probably feel the same way if the tables were reversed, but isn’t there something we can do? We can’t punish them on top of what they’ve already been through.”

  Kevin inserted himself, “Yeah ma that is kinda messed up. I mean I don’t know all that happened but those two have been running around here terrorizing us since they were rug rats, but they’re good kids. It wouldn’t be right to separate them. They don’t even play with anyone else.”

  Vanessa threw her hands up, “I appreciate everyone’s sentiment, but life is full of hard choices. They will just have to learn at a young age how to deal with them.”

  Blake turned into his mother’s bosom and quietly began to cry. Jasmine was hysterical with her tears and buried her face in her father’s chest. He comforted his daughter as best he could and then made an executive decision based on what the Holy Spirit was guiding him to do.

  “Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do. Lisa, Blake will be welcome over here anytime he wants to play with Jasmine, but for the time being she’s not allowed at your house. I know a couple of the counselors in town. I will give you some numbers so you can do what you need to do to get your husband some help. At the earliest possible convenience I want to have a talk with Frank.”

  Vanessa attempted to protest, but Justin cut her off.

  “Vanessa, the situation has been dealt with. It’s time to accept that.”

  She bit back whatever it was she wanted to say. Her husband was a quiet non-confrontational man, but when he made a decision that was that. He turned his attention back to Lisa.

  “You’re not going to be in this alone. We have been neighbors for a long time and we consider you a friend. We will help in whatever way we can to get your family back in one piece. Thank you for being honest with us about what happened and for doing what you had to do to protect our daughter.”

  The boys knew their father had said the final word on the matter and there would be no more fireworks, so they got up to leave the room.

  Vanessa knew her husband and he would do everything he could to help that drunken bastard. There was no need for her to fight it. She would never admit it, but deep down she was grateful that Blake and Jasmine would be able to still be friends. She discerned Blake would always have Jasmine’s best interests at heart even though she didn’t want to believe it. She knew all too well what it was to have your innocence snatched too soon and be thrown head first into reality.

  She stood up and reached for Jasmine’s hand, “Come on baby. Let’s go clean your face.”

  Jasmine took her hand.

  “Come on Blake you too.”

  Vanessa extended her other hand. He looked to his mother to see if it was okay. Lisa nodded.

  Vanessa said, “Lisa why don’t you go start breakfast for them. I’m sure they haven’t eaten anything yet. I can’t imagine they ate last night.”

  Lisa smiled. Vanessa could be as mean as a snake or as sweet as a Georgia Peach. She knew it was her way of apologizing because no one but Vanessa Monroe cooked in her kitchen. Lisa’s way of accepting it was by going into the kitchen and throwing something together.

  In the kitchen Lisa took out eggs, butter, bacon and pulled grits from the pantry. Vanessa had the children sitting at the table and gave them paper towels to clean their faces. She pulled Jasmine out of her seat and took her over to a corner in the kitchen to examine her to see what all had to been done to her. She wanted to curse when she saw the welts on her baby’s skin. She went over to Blake and pulled up his shirt and saw his was ten times worse. His were old and new. When she realized why he had so many more she wanted to cry.

  She asked him, “Did you try and protect Jasmine?”

  He nodded. She grabbed him and hugged him as tears ran down her face. This little boy was just determined to work his way into her heart no matter how hard she tried to resist.

  “I’m sorry baby. I’m sorry this happened to you. Thank you for what you did for Jasmine.”

  She reached for Jasmine and held them both. Her tear-filled eyes met Lisa’s and her heart ached for her. She’d never been a fan of Frank’s, but she couldn’t deny that Lisa had always been a great friend and neighbor despite the difference in their skin tones. Jasmine’s wounds would heal likely by the end of the day, but the scars that Lisa and Blake had may just take a lifetime to heal.

  She released the kids and asked them, “Are you guys okay?”

  They nodded.

  Jasmine asked, “Are we gonna get in trouble for trying to run away and for taking Shawn’s money?”

  Vanessa laughed, “Under the circumstances we will let that go, but if I ever catch either of you stealing anything again I will break every one of your fingers off. Do you understand?”

  In unison they said, “Yes ma’am.”

  She continued, “If you ever want to talk about this don’t be afraid okay. You can talk to me or Lisa or my husband okay.”

  They nodded.

  She asked, “Y’all hungry?”

  They both nodded vigorously.

  She smiled, “Okay I’ll go help Lisa with breakfast.”

  ∞∞∞

  Three weeks later Justin parked his truck and walked into the obscure bar far off from the main road. He had been helping Lisa look for Frank by using his contacts at the police station. They found him but before he let Lisa know he wanted to have a private man-to-man conversation with Frank. Justin didn’t like confrontation but when it came to his baby girl all of that went out the window.

  He opened the heavy wooden door. His senses were assaulted with cigarette smoke and country music. The first thing he noticed was he was the only dark spot in the bar. He wasn’t concerned about it though. He came there for one purpose and one purpose only.

  He looked around trying to spot Frank. He saw couples dancing on the dusty make shift dance floor. There were several patrons at the bar tossing back shots. He spotted Frank in the very back sitting at a table alone.

  As Justin approached Frank he ignored all the stares he received from the other patrons. Frank’s head was down. He was staring into his beer mug like it had the answers to life’s enigmas.

  Justin casually pulled out a chair and took a seat. Frank was so drunk it took him a second to realize someone had joined him. Moments later he looked up. They stared at each other not saying a word for a long while.

  Justin finally spoke up, “You don’t look well Frank. Your wife has been looking for you.”

  “Mind your business Justin and get the hell out of here. This isn’t exactly the kind of place you should be frequenting.”

  “I don’t plan to stay long.”

  Justin reached into his jacket and pulled out a revolver. He sat it down on the table casually and looked Frank dead in the eyes.

  Frank was visibly disturbed. He wasn’t necessarily scared of the gun just shocked by such a bold statement from a man as peaceful as Justin.

  Justin said, “If you ever touch my child again I will kill you. Understood?”

  Frank stared in disbelief for a few moments.

  “Listen Just
in I’m…”

  “I don’t care. There is no need for a discussion. I just need to know that we understand each other.”

  Frank sat back in his seat and took another sip of his beer.

  “We understand each other.”

  Justin put his gun back in his jacket. He walked out of the bar as quietly as he walked in.

  Part Two:

  High School

  Chapter 5: Temper, Temper

  Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and months turned into years. Before they knew it Jasmine and Blake were in high school. They were 17 and in their junior year. They managed to stay the best of friends through elementary and middle school even though Jasmine shed her tomboyish ways when she got to high school. She was not into running around outside with Blake anymore, but she managed to still have a love for video games.

  She was now into make-up, skirts and high heels. Her new affection for all things feminine bonded her to Blake’s mother. She had always admired Lisa’s beauty. Jasmine thought her mom was beautiful, but she never celebrated it. As a matter of fact she always downplayed it. It seemed to Jasmine as if her mother went out of her way to be plain and not stand out. She never understood why because she loved being a woman and she loved being beautiful. So she went to Lisa to learn all the tricks of the trade.

  Lisa had been happy to help. Her relationship with Frank was strained to say the least and she always wanted a daughter. Jasmine so perfectly filled that void for her. With Lisa’s help Jasmine had blossomed into a shapely exotic beauty standing five-feet-seven-inches.

  Her beautiful bushy head of curls had become her trademark. She became captain of the cheerleading squad her freshman year and had maintained her title through her junior year. She was a straight-A student and was experiencing high school to the fullest.

  Blake had sprouted up to a lean handsome six-foot-three carbon copy of his dad. His rugged good looks were the only thing his dad ever gave him as far as he was concerned. His popularity rivaled Jasmine’s as his talents led him to the football field. He wasn’t so shabby in the classroom either. He and Jasmine always competed in their academics, but he was currently beating her by half a point for the first time since they started high school.