Blessings in Disguise Read online

I was speechless as he handed the meat back to me. He was taller than me, which didn’t happen very often. That in itself was appealing, but he had these gorgeous hazel eyes, a closely cropped cut, and a square jaw topped off a body that could put Tyrese to shame. Matter of fact, he looked like a taller, lighter version of Tyrese.

  “Hello? Do you speak English,” the guy said with a smile.

  “Oh, umm, yeah, sorry. I was just in a hurry,” I said as I took the meat.

  The boy pointed to the register. “Well, you don’t have to move out of this line. It looks like that lady forgot her money, so you’re next.”

  I turned toward the woman, who looked frustrated as she dug through her purse.

  “Please hold my groceries. I’ll be right back,” the woman said as she rushed off.

  I froze. There was no way I was about to use this stupid card now.

  “Well, are you going to go or what?”

  Think, Jasmine, think, I kept telling myself.

  “Ummm, I just remembered I forgot to get something,” I said.

  The boy smiled again. He had the whitest teeth. I felt goose bumps crawl up my arm. “Why don’t I walk with you? Maybe I can get your name,” he said.

  My eyes bugged out. “Ummm, nah. I’m in a hurry.”

  “I can walk fast,” the boy said with a grin.

  “That’s okay,” I stuttered.

  The boy shrugged, the smile still across his face. “Okay, I can take a hint.”

  “Well, can y’all take that dang flirting somewhere else? You holding up the line!” an old man standing behind us snapped.

  The boy laughed and then stepped aside. “Sorry, Pops. Why don’t you go ahead.”

  “I ain’t your pops,” the old man said as he wobbled past us with his groceries.

  “Can I at least get your name?” the boy said, turning his attention back to me and pulling me out of line.

  I drew a blank. He laughed. I know he must have thought I was a nutcase.

  “Okay, obviously this isn’t working. I’m Donovan. And you are?”

  What was my name? I swear, I couldn’t remember it. I couldn’t remember anything at that very moment. “Jasmine,” I finally said, coming out of my daze.

  “Well, Jasmine, since you won’t let me walk with you, will you at least give me your number so I can call you sometime?” I couldn’t take my eyes off this boy. He had to be the finest boy I’d ever seen in my life.

  I know I looked like a special ed student or something the way I was just standing there staring at him.

  He shook his head. “Look, why don’t I just give you my number and if you call, you call.” He reached in his back pocket, pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, and wrote his number down.

  He held the paper up in front of me and flashed those Colgate commercial–looking teeth. “I really hope you’ll use this, Jasmine.”

  I just knew my heart was about to jump out of my chest as he leaned in and pushed the piece of paper down in the front pocket of my jeans. “You are so pretty.”

  Pretty? That was not something many people used to describe me. I mean, I have been told I have a pretty face, but since I was so tall and a little thick, that was usually all people saw.

  “I would really like to get to know you better, Jasmine. I hope you’ll call,” he said. He flashed a smile one last time before turning and heading back to the register.

  I was still standing there in a daze as he paid for his soda, then walked out of the front door.

  5

  I doubled over with laughter as I walked down the hallway. Camille had just cracked a joke about the funny-looking marlin somebody had drawn on a poster hanging in the hallway. The marlin was our school mascot here at Madison, but she said that picture looked more like Nemo.

  Camille was forever cracking jokes and today was no exception. I needed to laugh because I couldn’t get Donovan off of my mind. I’d been thinking about him since I met him three days ago. Of course I hadn’t called, but I still couldn’t stop thinking about him.

  Camille had moved on from the jacked-up poster and was now talking about some nerd who tried to holla at her in her last class.

  “Girl, you are too stupid,” Angel said. I was happy she’d transferred to our school because we kicked it all the time now.

  “For real. That boy looks just like Chicken Little,” Camille said. “And then gon’…” Camille’s words died off as she focused her attention down the hall. “Good God Almighty,” she said with her eyes wide.

  I followed her gaze. “Wha—” I stopped in my tracks when I saw what Camille was looking at. Donovan!

  “Is he fine or what?” Camille grabbed my arm to steady herself, never taking her eyes off Donovan, who was walking toward us.

  “He’s coming this way,” Camille whispered. I still didn’t say anything but Camille didn’t seem to notice because she had such a huge grin across her face. She ran her fingers through her spiral curls and stuck her chest out as Donovan approached.

  He shifted his backpack and stopped right in front of us.

  “Well, hello,” he said.

  Camille started toying with one of her shoulder-length curls.

  “Hi yourself,” she said, shamelessly flirting.

  He smiled at Camille, then turned to me. “I waited for you to call.”

  Camille’s smile faded and a confused look crossed her face. I ignored it as I tried to force a smile myself. I had to keep it together. I couldn’t make a fool out of myself again, especially in front of Camille and the other girls who had stopped in the hallway and started to stare at this new face around campus.

  “Ummm, I was going to,” I said, trying to remember what Camille told me about being more girlie. My friends were always after me to act more like a “young lady,” as Alexis always says.

  “You just hadn’t gotten around to it yet, right? Even though it’s been three days.” He smiled. I blushed.

  “It’s cool. You’re worth waiting for.” He reached up and gently squeezed my arm. “See you around, pretty lady.” He continued walking down the hall.

  Neither me, nor Camille, nor the group of girls standing nearby at a locker, took our eyes from him as he walked off. When he turned the corner, I turned to Camille, who had a look of shock on her face.

  “What?” I said, trying to act like it was no big deal. “Close your mouth,” I snapped when she didn’t say anything.

  Camille shook her head. “Okay, I know that was game he was running, but he is so fine, it doesn’t even matter.”

  I laughed, then looked at my watch, trying not to let my excitement show. “We better get going before we’re late for our next class.”

  “Oh, no you don’t,” Camille said as she moved to block me from walking away. “You’re just gon’ have to take a tardy because you’re not going anywhere until you tell me who that is and how you know him.”

  I just shrugged. My stomach was turning backflips, but I didn’t want Camille to know that. “He’s just a guy I met.” Camille was the boy-crazy one. I didn’t want anyone to think I was all worked up over some dude.

  “That fine thing I just saw is not ‘just some guy.’”

  I smiled, no longer able to contain my excitement. “He is fine, ain’t he?”

  “And then some.” Camille looked down the hall to where he’d disappeared. “He’s got to be new here.” She turned back to me. “And what did he mean, he waited on you to call?”

  “Just what he said,” I said as we started walking down the hall again.

  “You have his number? What’s his name? How’d you meet him?”

  “What is this, twenty questions?” I quipped.

  “And you haven’t answered a single one of them.”

  I stopped and turned to Camille. “His name is Donovan. I met him in the grocery store on Monday. He gave me his number and asked me to call him.”

  “And you haven’t called him yet? It’s Thursday,” Camille said like she couldn’t even fathom the idea
.

  “Nope.”

  “What are you waiting on? Is he new here?”

  “I don’t know anything about him. And I don’t know, I just didn’t get around to calling.”

  “Girl, you’re better than me, because I would’ve called him as soon as I got in the house the day we met.”

  “That’s because you’re boy-crazy.”

  “Whatever. So you’re calling him tonight, right?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, come on, that boy is all that. I don’t even need to waste my time.”

  “And why is that? He obviously likes you. I mean, dang, I saw the way he looked at you. He didn’t even glance my way.”

  “Stop exaggerating.” I wished that were true. I had never had a boyfriend. I used to like C.J. when I first started going to Madison. But he turned out to be a jerk. “Guys like that do not go for girls like me.”

  “So why would he give you his number then?”

  “Because that’s what guys like him do,” I stated matter-of-factly.

  We had finally reached my Algebra class. Camille stopped me just as I was about to walk inside. “Jasmine, you’ve said a lot of dumb stuff since I met you. But thinking he’s too good for you is the dumbest. You better call that boy. Did you see how Tori and ’nem were looking at him? He’s gotta be new and I guarantee you, by the end of the week, every girl in school is going to be trying to get with him,” she said with a serious expression on her face.

  “That’s just it, Camille. I’m not about to be fighting every girl up in this school over a boy,” I replied, just as serious.

  “Have you ever thought that you might not have to fight? Not if it’s you that he wants. Think about what I’m saying.” Camille strutted off as I replayed her words over and over in my head.

  6

  I know Miss Rachel could tell I wasn’t into the meeting, but I had been in a funk all day long.

  After I saw Donovan yesterday, I broke down and called him when I got home. Our conversation was going so well until Jaquan picked up the other phone and yelled that my grandmother wanted me to come fold up the clothes before she beat my behind. I was so embarrassed. Especially when he added, “I don’t know why you talkin’ to a boy no way. It ain’t like you can go out on no dates.”

  Donovan laughed it off, but I wanted to scream. So between that, the D I made on my research paper, and me having to spend the whole afternoon cleaning the house, I was not in a good mood.

  Rachel definitely noticed my mood change because her laughter died down as she looked at me. “Hey, you, what’s up? You don’t seem like you’re here with us today.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Just in a bad mood, I guess.”

  “Care to talk about it?” Rachel asked.

  “Not really.”

  “Unh-uh, Jasmine,” Angel piped in. “You are the only one who hasn’t really opened up. One minute you’re all right, the next you’re in a foul mood and nobody knows why.”

  “She’s right,” Alexis added. “You’re always talking about you’ll tell your story one day. Well, it’s one day.”

  I rolled my eyes. Since we started this group, everyone had pretty much opened up to one another. Everyone except me. Camille had drama with her mama and her convict boyfriend. And Angel had gotten pregnant at fifteen. And Alexis had her drama with her parents. But none of it compared to my story. They all knew I was broke as all get-out. But they didn’t understand what things were like at my home. And they sure couldn’t understand the burning desire I had inside to live a different life.

  “You know what, you can sit there looking like Oscar the Grouch all you want. Nobody cares about that,” Camille said.

  “Yeah, now tell us what’s wrong,” Angel added.

  I wanted so bad to tell them to leave me alone, but I couldn’t help the heaviness that I felt in my heart. I tried to open my mouth, and suddenly tears started coming. The sight of me crying must’ve really freaked everyone out because they gathered around me, all bug-eyed. Everyone thought I was so hard, so seeing me snottin’ all over the place must have been a scary sight.

  “Oh my God, Jasmine.” Alexis wrapped her arms around my neck. “What’s wrong?”

  Normally, I would’ve pushed Alexis off of me, but all I could do was cover my face with my hands and sob.

  “Sweetie, talk to us. Tell us what’s wrong,” Rachel said softly.

  “I…I hate it at home.” I struggled to get the words out, I was crying so hard. “I’m so sick of my life. I wish I could go live with my father.”

  The room grew silent. Everyone was probably shocked that I even mentioned my father. Other than telling them I had no idea where he was, I had never shared much about him or my desire to see him.

  “Jasmine, are you sure you want to do that? Sometimes we have to be grateful for the things we have in our life,” Rachel said. I looked up at her and saw the doubt in her eyes. She knew my home situation. Rachel used to babysit me when I was a little girl, so she knew how the subject of my father was taboo in our house.

  “I just feel like I don’t belong in my family. Like I’m supposed to be living a different life.” I was shocking even myself. “And I can’t help but wonder what my father is like. Does he have a family? Does he live in a nice house? What he looks like…why he left me…where he lives.”

  “Why don’t you ask your mom?” Angel said.

  I wiped my tears. “Yeah, right. If I even mention his name, she gets all up in a tizzy. I think his name is Frank.” I sniffed. “How pathetic is that that I don’t even know my father’s name for sure? But I’ve never met him and my mother refuses to talk about him. Nikki’s daddy died but she still talks to his family. My brothers have the same father and he comes to see them all the time. Me? I don’t have anybody.”

  I don’t know why I was suddenly opening up so, but everything I’d been holding inside seemed to come pouring out.

  “I know my dad is alive because I heard my aunt talking about him to my mom,” I continued. “But that’s all I know. I’ve tried to ask my grandmother and she tells me to go ask my mama. I just need some answers. I want to find him.”

  Everyone just looked at me all pitiful for a few minutes. “I know how we can find your father,” Alexis said.

  I sat up and sniffed again. “For real?”

  Alexis nodded. “We can use the Internet and my friend’s brother, who works as a private detective, can help us out.”

  “Don’t play, Alexis,” I said, not wanting to believe finding my father was even a possibility. I was just venting. I definitely didn’t think it would ever happen.

  “I’m serious. You say the word and he’s as good as found.”

  Rachel stood up like she knew she needed to be the voice of reason. “And tell me, Jasmine, what do you plan to do once you find him?”

  I shrugged again. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. Heck, I hadn’t thought much about anything. I just knew if there was a chance of me finding my father, I had to take it. My life sucked so bad and I just had a feeling my father was what I needed to make everything all right.

  7

  “T his place is a funky mess, Jaquan. You get your butt off that couch and clean up this living room!” I yelled.

  There were empty potato chip bags, video games, and DVDs all across the floor.

  “I’m sick of this. Y’all think I’m about to be cleaning up after your nasty butts? I ain’t your personal maid. And whose turn is it to wash the dishes?”

  My brothers drove me crazy. They were trifling, obnoxious, and lazy. Jaheim was eleven and Jalen was four. But fifteen-year-old Jaquan was the worst. He aggravated me the most and we fought like cat and dog.

  Now, looking around this filthy room, I was even more disgusted. Especially because I was the one who would get in trouble if Granny came home and found the place looking like this.

  “The house is a nasty pigsty!” They still weren’t listening to me as they lay on the living room floor playing som
e stupid video game. I kicked Jaquan’s leg. If these clowns didn’t clean up now, I knew Granny was gonna make me do it when she got home. I couldn’t believe the way they were just sitting there ignoring me, like I’d never even walked into the room.

  I made my way into the kitchen. And the minute I hit the entryway I was hot. When I looked around and saw plates, pots, and glasses from the night before, I wanted to strangle those little punks.

  “Now I know somebody done lost their freakin’ mind! Who was supposed to do the dishes last night? Unh-unh, y’all think I’m playing around here. It ain’t even going down like this,” I screamed.

  When those fools continued to giggle at the screen and work their game controllers as I ranted and raved, I felt like I was about to lose it.

  “I don’t believe you ’bout to make it to the next level. That’s tight! You see that?” Jaheim yelled.

  It was like they hadn’t heard a word I said. I walked back into the living room and over to the wall, where I yanked the television cord out of the socket.

  “What the—!”

  I looked at Jaquan. “I wish you would, so I could tell Granny you cussing up in here,” I dared him.

  He looked at me with pure hatred in his eyes as I dangled the cord from my hand. I plastered on the most wicked smile I could muster up.

  “I don’t believe she did that, man. You ain’t never got to that level before,” Jaheim said as he shook his head.

  “Ooooh, you gon’ pay for that,” Jaquan said through clenched teeth.

  I was ready if he even thought about trying me. I twirled the cord in my hand almost daring any one of them to try me.

  “Now I said, y’all gon’ clean this doggone place up and I mean fast. I ain’t got time to be picking up behind y’alls’ trifling behinds. And somebody better get in that kitchen. I am not playing!” I crossed my arms on my chest and stood there looking at them. Jaquan hadn’t moved or uttered a word.

  “You feeling froggy? Jump, fool.” My brother wasn’t crazy. I stood a good two feet taller than him and he knew he was no match for me. I was hoping he would come at me, though, because I wanted to beat his tail. I had been dreaming about the special kind of headlock I planned to put him in the minute we got into it again. Oh, I had something waiting for him, all right, but it didn’t seem like Jaquan was looking for trouble.