Chapter 22

Jasmine

 

 

Though the fire at Kenya’s condo was unfortunate, it gave Jasmine the opportunity to clean out her closet. Kenya had lost an entire summer wardrobe, so Jasmine planned to give her a few things until she was able to replenish what was destroyed. One of the firemen had said a half-lit cigarette that fell on the carpet in her bedroom had started the fire, but that was strange. Kenya didn’t smoke. Neither did Mack, who had been there all night. An investigation was still pending, but in the meantime, Kenya and Tyree were staying with Tionna until she could figure out her next steps.

After learning about Kenya, Brianna left school to spend a few days at her mother’s, in case she needed help. Brianna was visiting with her half sisters today, which was good for Jasmine. While she cleaned, Brianna could keep the girls entertained.

Jasmine had no idea where Brian was. He’d taken her car to run errands. If he didn’t come back soon, he was going to miss spending time with Brianna before she left.

As Jasmine threw clothes into a large garbage bag, she sang along to the music blasting from Sasha’s room. Usher was an entertainer whom the younger generation adored, but he’d gained a more mature fan base with some hits adults could also enjoy. The upbeat song “Yeah!” was one of them.

Out of nowhere Jasmine felt something hit her arm, and when she turned to see what it was, Brian slapped her with a cell phone. “You dirty little liar!” he barked.

Jasmine grabbed her face and felt blood. The phone had cut her cheek. “What’s wrong with you?” she yelled as she tried to exit the walk-in closet.

Brian blocked her path and shoved her deeper inside the closet. As she stumbled over the clothes on the floor, she noticed a pack of birth control pills. Though she’d hidden her pills in the back of her glove compartment, Brian must’ve found them while he was out. I knew I shouldn’t have let him drive my car! Jasmine thought.

“Let’s have a baby,” he mimicked in a female voice and knocked Jasmine to the floor. “I want to have your son.” Brian kicked Jasmine in the side, and she curled into a ball. “Why’d you lie to me, Jazz?”

Jasmine tried to squirm toward the door, but Brian continued to kick her back in place. She was trapped and feared her husband was going to kill her.

“I was looking for a pen, but guess what I found instead?” he yelled and picked up the pack of pills. “You tried to hide them, but you’re not so smart, are you?” Brian threw the pills in her face, and his foot quickly followed. Seeing his foot come down, Jasmine twisted her body and turned her head just in time.

“Then,” Brian continued in between kicks and hard slaps to her head, “I come home and our neighbor wants me to relay a message to my wife. He says to make sure Orion gives Kierra a permission slip to attend some musical in New York. Orion, Jazz? You can’t be serious,” he shouted. “That’s why you want to dance again, isn’t it? You want to be near your lover. Well, let me show you what happens to liars.”

Enraged, Brian dropped to his knees and continually beat Jasmine as he called her derogatory names. Jasmine should’ve fought back or hollered, but the girls were in the other room and she didn’t want them to see their father in this state. So she took the beating until her body became numb and the taste of blood trickled into her mouth. As if he hadn’t damaged her enough, Brian wrapped his hands around Jasmine’s throat and banged her head against the floor. Jasmine thought for sure her life was ending. Tears escaped from her eyes, fueling Brian’s rage. “You ought to cry for disrespecting me!” he exclaimed.

Jasmine prayed the insanity would end. If there is a God, she said to herself, only He can save me now.

In that instant Brianna barged into the bedroom and screamed at the top of her lungs. “Daddy, let her go!”

Alarmed, Brian loosened his grip on Jasmine’s throat, and her head fell hard to the floor. Without saying a word, Brian flew out of the room and then out of the house. Brianna rushed to Jasmine’s side and yelled for Sasha to call nine-one-one. While she held Jasmine’s hand, Brianna grabbed the cell phone in her pocket and called her mother.

“Mom, Daddy hurt Jasmine. It’s real bad,” she cried into the phone.

That was the last thing Jasmine heard before everything went dark.