Chapter 33: The Real You
*Jasmine*
Jasmine and her mother arrived at the mall and walked around, looking for a dress shop.
“What about this one?” Hannah asked, stopping before a store. “I’m sure you’ll find something really nice here.”
Jasmine looked up, and it was what she would call an older woman’s shop with sophisticated clothes instead of hip, trendy clothes. “Nope!” She slid her arm in her mother’s. “Mom, if you’re going to be back on the market, I’ll need to show you where to shop.
Hannah’s head snapped up. “On the market?” She let out a deep breath. “Honey, I’ve been married to your father for so long I wouldn’t even know what it’s like to date, let alone be with another man.”
Jasmine pulled her mother to a stop. “Mom, promise me that no matter what happens between you and my father, you won’t stay alone for the rest of your life.”
Hannah smiled. “Sweetie, it’s much too soon to think about such things—”
“Promise me,” Jasmine cut her off. “I can’t leave for college next month, knowing you’ll be alone.”
Her mother slipped her arm in hers, and they started walking again. “As I said before, don’t worry about me, honey. I’ll be just fine.” She looked over at Jasmine and gave her a knowing smile. “Besides, it’s your father you should be worried about.” She winked as Jasmine laughed. But then Hannah’s smile faded. “I let it go on much too long. And now, I’m paying the price.”
Jasmine leaned her head on her shoulder. “Mom, you don’t have to pay the price for anything. You’re a beautiful, kind woman with a big heart. Any man would be lucky to have you.”
Her mother glanced over at her, raising an eyebrow. “But do I want another man? No, after all this, it’s going to take a while before I’ll even think of being with someone else.” Then she looked up and saw a trendy boutique. “What about this one?”
A smile lit Jasmine’s lips. “It’s perfect.” She inclined her head toward the store. “Let’s get you a new outfit, too!” She took her mother’s hand and pulled her toward the boutique.
“Me?” Hannah laughed. “Oh, no! We’re here to shop for you. Let’s go.” They walked in, and beautiful clothes hung on every rack. “You go ahead, dear. I’ll see you in just a minute.”
Jasmine nodded excitedly. “Okay. But look for something for yourself, too.”
Her mother nodded. “Oh, I will!” She smiled and then headed toward one part of the store while Jasmine headed toward the trendy dresses, glad her mother was taking this so well.
Jasmine just wished that she had known about her father sooner. Maybe things could have been different for her mother. But she had a feeling that once the smoke cleared, her mother would settle into her new life with ease. Jasmine just wished she would have come to know this side of her mother sooner.
She combed through the short, floral dresses and found a cute white one, and then a purple and a red one. Then she headed off to the fitting rooms and met her mother on the way, eying a beautiful gold dress and had a red one over her arm. She looked up and smiled. “Did you find something, dear?”
Jasmine nodded. “I’ll be right out.”
“I’ll go with you,” her mother said, tagging along. “I want to speak with you about something.”
“Oh-kay.” Usually, when her mother had that tone, Jasmine knew it wouldn’t be just a casual talk.
Her mother leaned in, keeping her voice low. “I made an appointment for you at the gynecologist for—”
“Mom!” Jasmine said, looking around. “Let’s talk about this later. Okay?”
Her mom nodded, smiling. “Okay, dear. I just wanted you to know that you’re appointment is for the day after tomorrow. After all, you’re going off to college. And I want you to be married before you do anything, but I know what college life can be like—”
“Mom!” Jasmine let out a deep breath, defeated. “Okay. But let’s try on these dresses and have some fun. Let’s not talk about it right now.”
“Okay.” Hannah smiled. “I’ll see you outside.”
Jasmine had never been so relieved to see the inside of a store changing room in her life. But as she dressed, she knew it was the smart thing to do, especially since she and Zain planned to go to Las Vegas before heading off to separate colleges.
She got a little nervous thinking about it but quickly pushed the thought from her mind. Now that her mother was alone, Jasmine didn’t wanted to spend as much time with her as she could before going off to college.
Jasmine had a feeling that her father would come crawling back on his hands and knees to her mother. But then again, if he had been seeing this woman for a while, it may have been the push he needed to leave. But that was between her parents. Jasmine no longer wanted to think about it.
She first slipped on the cute white floral dress, but it wasn’t what she was looking for. Then she tried on the purple one, which was short, sleeveless, and showed off her long legs. But when she tried on the red one, it was more festive and just what she wanted. Where the purple one had a high neck and was sleeveless, the red one was strapless and short, but not too short. It was strapless, and showed off her curves in all the right places and was about fingertip length. Perfect.
When she walked out of the dressing room and into the store, her mother was already waiting for her. She had the gold dress over her arm as she looked through more clothes, with a faraway look in her eyes. Jasmine was surprised that her mother had handled everything so well, but maybe it was hitting her harder than she had thought.
But Hannah looked up and smiled when she saw her, lifting her eyebrows. “Find something?”
Jasmine nodded. “I like this red one.”
“Oh, it’s so cute!” her mother gushed, looking it over. “You can wear a sweater in case it gets cold—”
“No, Mom... no sweater.” She rolled her eyes. “So, what about you?”
Her mom shrugged. “I really like this gold one—”
“Did you like the red dress?”
Her mother lifted one shoulder. “Yes, but I have no idea where I would wear it... now that—”
“Get it, Mom.”
Her mother smiled, scrunching up her nose. “You think so?”
Jasmine nodded. “Yes, definitely! Make all the men drool.”
Her mother laughed, shaking her head. “Jasmine, you do have a way with words.” She sighed as she slipped her arm in hers. “But I’ll only get them both if you agree to get both of yours, too.”
Jasmine looked down at the purple dress slung over her arm. “It’s a deal.”