I spend most of Saturday, getting everything ready for Sunday. After cleaning the apartment and doing laundry, I drive to the mall and pick out some flavored massage oil and scented candles. When I get home, I make a playlist on my IPOD of mood music; slow ballads and light jazz. I want this to be perfect. I want this to be the most memorable day Jasmine has ever spent. By the time I leave for work, I have everything ready.
“Hi, Mike.” Amber says, walking up as I clock in for work. “We don’t seem to work together much anymore.” She smiles.
“Hi, Amber. Good to see you.” I say, glancing up as I punch my employee number into the computer. “I haven’t seen you since that party… well, I’ve seen you, but we haven’t worked together or talked.” I say, wondering if I should warn her about how Jimmy dumped Jasmine.
“How’re things working out with Jimmy?” I ask.
“Okay.” She says. “Honestly, I caught him on the rebound and he’s still in mourning for Jasmine.” She says. “Who I’ve seen you with a lot lately.” She says, moving closer to me and lowering her voice. “Be careful, Mike.” She whispers. “Jasmine’s trouble.”
“What do you mean?” I ask her defensively. “Do you know what Jimmy did to her.”
“What he did?” She says indignantly. “She went out on him and got herself pregnant!” Amber says, louder than I think she means to, and glances around to see if anyone heard her. We’re alone, so she continues. “You know she’s pregnant, right?” She says conspiratorially.
“She’s not pregnant.” I tell her. “She thought she was because she was a few days late, but she started her period that same night.” I tell her. “But you’re the one that has to be careful. As soon as she told Jimmy she thought she was pregnant, he dumped her like a hot potato.”
“That’s because he knew it wasn’t his.” She says quietly. “But she wasn’t pregnant, after all?”
“No.” I tell her, confused by her question. “How well do you know Jasmine?” I ask. “Because she swears she never went out on Jimmy and I believe her.” I say.
“Oh fuck!” Amber says, sitting down in a nearby chair. “I’m not suppose to tell anyone, but Jimmy told me he can’t have kids.” I must look shocked because she continues a bit faster. “Some childhood disease that wasn’t treated properly and he ended up sterile.” She says. “A big settlement for malpractice and everything, but that’s why Jimmy was so sure that Jasmine cheated on him. He knew if she was pregnant, it couldn’t be his.”
“Jasmine didn’t know about Jimmy?” I ask, trying to figure out how Amber knows, but Jasmine doesn’t.
“He was embarrassed. He didn’t want to tell anyone, but I pressed him for how he could be so sure it wasn’t his kid.” She smiles at me. “I can be pretty persuasive.” She says, and I don’t doubt it.
“So Jasmine says, ‘I’m pregnant’ instead of ‘I’m late or I might be…”
“And Jimmy figures she cheated on him.” Amber interrupts, finishing my thought. “It’s all a big misunderstanding.” She says, looking at me. I think about it for a minute.
“Fuck!” I say under my breath. “I bet that’s exactly what happened.”
“Are you going to tell Jasmine?” She asks.
“Are you going to tell Jimmy?” I ask.
“I don’t know.” She says, lost in thought as a customer approaches and I help him find a book.
Amber and I don’t discuss it any further and it’s still on my mind when I go to bed that night. I toss and turn all night, considering the consequences of telling Jasmine and not telling her. I imagine blurting it out right when I pick her up Sunday morning and see her running back in her house to call Jimmy. What if I don’t tell her at all or wait until Monday, pretending I just found out? No more secrets, I told her. Fuck! What if I wait until we’re naked in bed and say, ‘by the way…’? I wouldn’t have taken advantage of her, but I’d at least have touched and seen her naked body.
I still don’t know what to do, even as I drive over to pick her up. I’m definitely going to tell her, it’s just the timing that’s in question. She doesn’t wait for me to come to the door, but comes running out as I pull into her driveway. She’s wearing her typical uniform of low-slung jeans, this time with a pull over orange blouse that accents her milk chocolate skin perfectly. The v-neck shows off the inside curves of her breasts, while the puffy sleeves give her that innocent schoolgirl look.
“What?” She says smiling, as she gets into the car.
“You look delicious.” I tell her, leaning over and lightly kissing her on the lips. Her light orange lip-gloss, which matches her blouse, also tastes like orange. “Mmm, you are delicious.”
“That was what I was going for.” She smiles. “I’m glad you approve.” She sits back in her seat, looking anxious and nervous at the same time.
“Jasmine.” I say, as I pull away from the curb. “There’s something I need to tell you.” Fuck! I realize that I’m going to tell her, without even consciously deciding. Damn that, ‘No more secrets’ crap!
“What?” She says, turning in her seat to face me.
“Let’s go to Starbucks and talk.” I say, not wanting to talk about it while I’m driving.
“Why?” She says. “I don’t want to go to Starbucks, Mike. Why can’t you tell me in the car or at your house?” She asks.
“Because once I’ve told you, you might not want to come to my house.” I answer, solemnly.
“Why not?” She says, looking puzzled. “You can’t be fucking someone else in my family. I already know about Aunt Cyn and her friends.” She says, trying to make light of whatever I’m going to tell her. “My mom wasn’t interested and I don’t have a sister.” I smile at her as I pull the car over to the curb.
“I know why Jimmy thought you cheated on him.” I say, turning towards her.
“So do I, because he didn’t want to take responsibility if I was pregnant.” She says, defiantly.
“I was talking with Amber last night.” I say, and before I can continue, Jasmine interrupts me.
“You’re still seeing her?” She asks, incredulously.
“Not like that!” I answer quickly. “We were at work. We both work at the book store remember?” I add quietly.
“Oh yeah.” She says sheepishly. “Sorry.”
“Anyway, Amber says that Jimmy told her he was very sick when he was a kid. The doctors fucked up the treatment and he ended up sterile.” I pause to let it sink in. “He couldn’t have made you pregnant, Jasmine, so he thought someone else must have.” She’s just starring at me, not talking.
“If that’s true, why didn’t he ever tell me?” She asks, trying to rationalize what I’ve said. “We were dating for almost a year and he never mentioned it, but after two weeks he tells Amber?” She asks, shaking her head and clearly not believing what I’m telling her.
“Maybe he was embarrassed, or didn’t know how to tell you.” I answer. “Amber says that she confronted him about how he could be so sure that you weren’t carrying his kid, and that’s when he told her.” Jasmine, just sits there, still shaking her head. I look at her beautiful face and sexy young body, thinking about what could have been.
“Shall I take you home now?” I ask her, turning back in my seat and starting the car.
“What?” She says, looking over at me. “NO! This doesn’t change anything, Mike.” She says. “Even if this is all true, Jimmy should have known that I wouldn’t fuck anyone else. He should have believed in me! And he damn sure shouldn’t have been fucking Amber twenty minutes after we broke up.” She says, folding her arms across her chest.