She saw a muffler and thought she had seen Jason put on before-she sighed when the thought of him made her head ache harder. She was sorry about his condition but she still had her own problems chocked up in her chest, she couldn’t help but care less about him.
---------------------------------
Jasmine was at San Francisco again-it was a cold Tuesday afternoon. Her mind flashed to Adams. Men! She thought, they were all the same, kept flocking around her until she led them to their own ruin.
She had pressured Raymond to let her stay in his house in San Francisco while she cleared something. He had supposedly suspected a foul play-but still agreed to it. She took out a beer from the counter and laid on the couch-waiting patiently till he came from work. They were never a perfect match for each other and they both knew it. Raymond was soft, eccentric and was a workaholic while she was subtle, shady and adventurous. She heard him pull up in front of the house, he threw open the door and glanced at her, not looking surprised.
“You came”
She walked slowly to him “Raymond”
He dropped his briefcase on the couch “This isn’t right Jasmine”
“Who cares what’s right?” She held onto his tie, her eyes holding his
He walked some meters from her “How’s Jason?”
“I should be asking that, I left first remember?”
He took a deep breath and leaned on the wall “Hm.”
“He should be doing fine, he’s all grown up”
“How long would you be here?”
“Has long as you want me to” She grinned, allowing her hands run down his chest.
“Jasmine, stop” He said calmly and caught her hands, restricting them from going further
“I’m going upstairs; you can stay in the adjoining room”
“Okay”
He walked up the stairs leaving her alone in the living room. She laughed out, running her hands on the sofa.
------------------------------------
Raymond shut his door tightly and lay on his bed.
Jasmine-she had been his wife for thirteen years apart from the last five years they were separated yet he couldn’t fathom what kind of a person she was.
He loved her and was deeply hurt when she had left, they never had any fight in the past as long as he could remember, he always tried to please her, and he had pleaded with her to stay, but she left-leaving him broken, and just when he was over her, she was back. He sighed, cursing himself for having a good heart.
He thought of Jason and the pain he would have felt when he read the note. He never wanted to, but it was too much of a burden to him-he had to leave. He walked out of his room to get a glass of water, she had not turn off the lights in her room yet.
----------------------------------
Jason and the other two walked into the classroom, William said something funny and Jason laughed.
Karen turned to Annabel “They seem really close.”
“You mean them? They’ve been buddies since middle school”
“Really”
“Their parents are big business persons” She paused and looked at them “They share the same plight”
“What plight?” She sounded surprisingly interested
“They’re all from broken homes” She answered dolefully
Karen pursed her lips and didn’t ask further
“Jason is all alone; he was almost on the streets when his parents left”
“Oh”
“He’s not what he looks like, he’s a big softie”
“How…did you know all of this?”
Annabel hesitated. “We use to be friends”
----------------------------------------
Annabel was alone in her room; the day had not gone so well for her. She had bumped into Jason in the hallway after having a squabble with Britney, they stood looking at each other for some time, her throat felt tight and so did her mouth, he shook his head and walked away.
She had known him for years, she couldn’t remember how long-maybe since she knew herself and long before they met Justin and William. She couldn’t remember vividly but she knew their ties got broken when both their parents got into a fight, she had always felt like she owed him something since then, but knew it wasn’t an apology-something more than that. She had seen him stare consciously at Karen most of the time and didn’t even want to imagine what he thought of her.
She felt deeply sorry for him and wished he hadn’t changed so much from the person she grew up with. His glittery eyes had become cold and pathetic; she couldn’t even decipher the look on his face any longer.
When they were younger, Jason had told her he didn’t like his mother and Annabel too never liked her; she was the cruelest woman she had ever known. Jason had always wished she were his sister but she didn’t want to be his sister-she only wished uncle Raymond had not married such a mean woman. She had almost flung Jason down the stairs when he took an extra chocolate. Jason had told her, crying.
Now, no one cared-he didn’t even wish she was his friend not to talk of being his sister, no one even bothered if they flung the other over the stair anymore.
6
The weeks that followed were all the same, she had a tiff with her mom that morning and it earn her a slap. Karen sat in the basement, whimpering and sniffing till she let out a choking loud wail. She cried-she couldn’t stop.
She heard someone cough and then a brief scuffling around the room
“I was getting used to your wailing but today doesn’t seem like a very good day”
She recognized the unsteady and somewhat cracked voice-it was Jason, hands in his pockets, standing behind her. She sat still and wiped her eyes, totally embarrassed
“It was quite quiet in here till you started coming”
She was furious but knew it would be stupid to show it “What have you heard?”
“Every single word but its fine, it’s not like you’re the only one” He sat on the table by her side
She leaned back, nervous
“Your nose is running” He offered her a handkerchief
“Oh” She flustered and took it, quite shy.
He was walking off, she called after him
“Um…Jason, please don’t tell anyone”
“What”
“I mean you shouldn’t tell anyone what I come here to do”
He smiled, making her feel more awkward, she had been nasty to him and here she was, asking for a favor-has much as she hated to.
“Yeah”
----------------------------------------------------
Karen yanked open the door of the house, she climbed the stairs and bumped into a huge figure coming out of her mom’s room. She moved a bit and stared before realizing he was a doctor.
“Miss Adams, I suppose”
She nodded apprehensively
“Well, I bet you know that she isn’t fine, I mean um… her health” He was big boned with eyes so small that they seemed shut.
She said nothing
“She has a weak heart.” He paused as if looking for words to place “Rheumatic fever”
She tried hard to find her tongue with her heart thumping really fast “You should call him, you should call my dad”
“He sent me here, she’ll be fine has long as she doesn’t hear or do anything that will put her in a bad condition.” He put a hand on her shoulder and she had a feeling it was a lot more serious than he sounded.
“She’ll see it through” He assured her, noticing her discomfort
Her eyes trailed after him as he walked down the stairs. She held back tears from flowing, resting her hand on the door knob, she sobbed.
Her mother coughed from within, she opened the door, the smell of drugs clung tightly to her nostrils, several painkillers were scattered on the bedside table.
“Karen” She called in a crooked voice
Karen stood still crying, she wanted to vomit
“He said I’ll
be fine”
“Mom, I can’t…I can’t do this, you should call him” The pent-up emotions of the past years burst out
“He sent the doctor”
“”That’s all he can do? That man is a bastard, mom”
“He’s your father, Karen”
She felt weak, hands and feet “Mom”
“Look, I’ll fine without him, we’ll be fine, Karen”
“Mother” Her voice quivered “What I’m I suppose to do now?”
She sat by her mother, weeping nonstop “I hate him, I’ll never forgive him”
“You will”
She knew she wasn’t but she kept silent-anger churning inside of her
She slipped quietly from the room when her mom slept off-but she couldn’t and when she tried, she had nightmares and she woke up screaming and burst into tears again.
-----------------------------------------------
Raymond walked into his house-Jasmine was perchingon the stair; she was still in bed when he left for work in the morning.
He glanced her way “I had my P.A get the documents from the company in New York this morning; once it arrive you can oversee what goes on there”. He told her-but earlier that day he wondered why he agreed to such request, but what would he do? She was once his wife and he needed a helping hand badly.
“Right” She answered shortly “And I wonder what you’ve feeding on these few years, I think the housekeepers aren’t treating you well enough, you need more flesh on your bones”
“Hm”
“I sent away those I wasn’t comfortable with”
“You did what?”
“It had to be done, Raymond. Your meal is right there” She took his briefcase from him “Cheese pizza used to be your favorite, right?”
He smiled “its pepperoni”
“Oh, how can I forget?” She helped him take off his suit. ”How was work today?”
“Tiring”
“Then, I guess this will help” She offered him coffee
“Thanks”
He gulped it down without hesitation, it calmed his nerves.
He walked up to his room with Jasmine following after him, his suit and briefcase in her hands.
7
“Hey girl, you should see the look on my dad’s face when I told him Adams is your father” Annabel told her when she met her in the hall that Thursday morning
Karen walked off abruptly, Annabel followed behind her “You’ve been crying?”
Jason stood at the entrance of the class; her shoulders brushed his when she walked past him.
She had just left the principal’s office when he sent for her saying all gibberish about her father. She was furious and thought there wasn’t any need going back to the class since it was time for lunch-she went down the basement
She hugged herself, deep in thoughts. The door opened gently, startling her. It was Jason-she breathed down, weak with relief.
“I thought I could be of help” He told her
“I don’t think so”
“Whatever you say to me stays with me”
Her dewy eyes narrowed “I’m not saying”
“You will, soon or later”
Funny- she thought and suddenly realized she felt like talking to someone, but not him.
“Are you leaving or you aren’t done with crying yet?”
She didn’t answer-he sounded sarcastic.
He walked away without her; she folded her arms but didn’t lean back.
Annabel had resolved that she was going to talk to Jason. She had always felt guilt when he looked at her, so when she saw him coming from the basement, she tried to utter something
“Jason” She winced at her impulse. He turned uncertainly; she knew it was the least he expected after many years of silence. If only he could stop glaring at her the way he did, maybe she would have felt less discomfort. She knew she’d acted stupidly, she’d have memorized everything she intended saying at the first instant and here she was trying hard to find her tongue-making a fool of herself.
“Well… um, Jason, I… just wanted to say I was sorry”
He leaned on the rail, looking straight at her-the type that made her look more stupid. She lowered her head but raised them when she thought she heard him laugh-he was laughing.
“You never cease to amaze me, Anna”
She smiled “Jason”
“What happened was none of your fault, why do you have to apologize”
“Someone has too”
“Did you miss me that much or…”
She laughed “Of course, I’ve missed you”
“Well, I’m a little bit sorry, too”
“A little bit? You still haven’t changed” She laughed
“But you have, no more braces, huh? It hurt that I could only watch you change so much from…I don’t know”
They were silent for a split second
“What have been happening this few years?” She asked him
“A lot of adjustment and growing up”
They paused when Karen walked past them, her lips in a tightened purse.
---------------------------
Jason looked around his room-he wasn’t used to afternoon naps but needed one badly. He drew down the window blind and laid on his bed
His phone rang-
“Jason?”
“Dad” He recognized his voice
“I thought I should call you”
“I’m doing fine, if you’re bothered” But he wasn’t, he was trying his best to breath normally
“I’m deeply sorry, son, I didn’t mean to leave, I acted out of…”
He interrupted “It’s fine, just anyone would do the same”
“Your mom is here” He said in a whisper
“Okay”
“If you need anything, just call”
“I’ll be fine, dad”
He paused “Okay then”
He hung up and flung his phone, moaning and reaching for his nebulizer.
----------------------------------
“What’s up, you two” Annabel asked William and Justin
There was shock in their faces “We’re…good”
Jason was shivering even with his coat on “It’s always winter in New York”
They laughed-
Karen walked by them, looking pissed off
“Don’t you think she’s weird?” Annabel asked
Jason looked grim “Yeah, kinda”
Justin chuckled-She was the nastiest human he had ever met.
Jason met her again in the basement, arms clutched over her legs.
“Here” He handed her a can of lemonade
“Thanks but no” She straightened
He sat on a chair almost next to hers “It’s fine, just take it”
She collected it and held it firmly in her hands
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No”
“Why?”
“Why? So you can learn my weaknesses and use them against me?”
He smiled; eyes narrowed “Why would I wanna do that”
She shrugged and drank from the drink she still held in her hands. She looked at him; he was waiting for her to speak
“Okay, don’t feel vouch safe that I’m telling you this, it’s just because I’m a mess”
“I’ve been there”
She heaved a sigh “How did you survive those years”
“Did someone tell you something, already?”
No answer came-
“I think you mean how am I surviving these years, I am, because I chose to.”
“Why did they leave?”
“I wasn’t their priority, so…enough of me, let’s talk about you, I mean, that’s why I’m here”
She swallowed “My father left four years ago and since then my life have been in shambles”
“Why is that?”
“That he left is enough reason”
She continued “You know how it f
eels when you have to start doing things that you weren’t doing before” She sniffed “My mom is ill and I haven’t felt so bad in a long time”
She felt strange the way he kept looking at her “Am I putting too much on you?”
“I asked for it”
“And seriously, that man is an beast, all he could do was send a doctor, my mom thinks there shouldn’t be any reason to be mad at him but I am, I hate him, I really do”
He was silent as she spoke-making no attempt to interrupt her
“Aren’t you going to say something?”
“I didn’t intend saying anything, I just thought you will feel a little better talking to someone”
That was when she realized that she did feel a lot better. She leaned back and stared at him-amazed
“Are you coming or you aren’t done lamenting?”
She stood and they walked together out of the basement, they were in the lobby when Britney stared suspiciously, Annabel looked rather shocked. Karen frowned and walked briskly ahead of them
“I see the way you always look at her” Annabel said from behind him
“Anna”
“She seem nice but she’s nasty” She squeezed
“Or rather, she seem nasty but she’s nasty”
“When did you start standing up for her?”
“Why do we keep standing? How about we grab lunch” Jason asked her
“That’s sneaky Jason, without us?” William appeared out of nowhere and smacked his head, Justin was laughing.
“I managed to snaffle a couple of snacks earlier, so I’m not so hungry” She said
“So, you’re saying?”
“I would still love to, though”
They laughed gleefully and walked to the cafeteria
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“It’s a good thing you’re friends again” Karen told Annabel after she saw her and the boys walk into the classroom
Annabel smiled “Good morning”
“Yeah” She replied gruffly
The basement was icy cold, she hugged herself, shivering. Lots of thought were going on in her head, her mother was to be admitted in the hospital.
Jason came in and gave a drink-she took it without hesitating
“When she’s dead, I’ll kill myself”
“No one is dying and aren’t killing yourself either”
Ties Page 3