Page 24 of Five Goodbyes

“First, let me ask if you guys are up for an evening cruise around Miami? Then we can have dinner with Smoke and Amira,” Jasmine says.

I give Jasmine a quick shot from the corner of my eye because, again, she’s failed to inform me of the plans. What is going on with her?

“Sounds good to us. We slept on the plane so we’re good for whatever the night brings,” Mr. Anderson says.

“Anything?” I ask over my shoulder.

“Bring it on,” he replies.

Jasmine smiles as she passes traffic. Then she starts talking, and her tales of our trip to see Mora and Philip begin, and I’m in awe of how well she can spin a story. She makes it both personal yet interesting to those who weren’t there. Sharing enough detail to keep it captivating without oversharing so it becomes too difficult to follow. When she gets to the part about the poachers, I hold my breath. Admittedly, I worry what they’ll think of me putting Jasmine in that position, but neither parent even bats an eye about it.

Then I remember who I’m sitting next to. Smoke and that entire crew have been beating the hell out of Jasmine for the last decade. I’m sure Jasmine’s parents are so used to the level of insane she goes through on a daily basis, that dealing with some poachers is normal in their world.

“. . . then, they said they were naming their baby after him,” Jasmine shares.

“Wow,” is the only word I hear as Jasmine continues speaking.

She gives intense details about the village and the funeral, along with the bonfires and dancing. She seamlessly melds it all together. The only part she doesn’t mention, which I’m eternally grateful for, is when I asked her to marry me and she said yes. I want to talk to her father about this before making the announcement.

As we enter the parking area of Jasmine’s condo, she concludes the story with us passing out in our seats as soon as we were in the air, and not waking up until we landed.

“That’s so badass!” Isaiah exclaims from the back seat.

“Isaiah!” Mrs. Anderson cuts him off.

“Mom. Can you imagine? How crazy is that situation, and to end up dancing around bonfires in Africa, as a guest of honor . . . Come on! That’s the definition of badass,” Isaiah returns.

“If I had my choice, I’d take all of it away to never be in that situation to begin with. To have sat with the gorillas and then come off that mountain is always the most desirable outcome,” I say as we exit the SUV.

“I don’t mean about the guy dying. Just the other parts,” Isaiah says.

We head up to Jasmine’s condo where she gives them a tour. I try to stay out of the way, and look around hoping nothing is out to show my constant presence in her place. I’m not sure if they care about that kind of thing, but it still sits on me on what kind of impression I’m going to make.

My stomach tightens a little as I hear Jasmine and her mom talking softly as they walk through the hall. “Next time, put the extra wet towel and his deodorant away. I doubt dad saw, but better to keep that out of his eyes until you’re ready to let him know where you guys are with your relationship.”

“I’m ready to tell him now,” Jasmine replies.

“How about you let us all have dinner together before you give a big reveal. Your dad has an idea with what I’ve shared, and he can tell by the way you talk, but it’s still a big deal. What’s that saying about slow is fast you’ve tried teaching me for years now?”

“Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.”

“Yeah. That.”

“Well, I love him, and I’m going to marry him.” Jasmine replies.

“And I know you’ve made this decision carefully. It’s hard for me, I’m your mom and want to know him so much more and want to be involved in this part of your life. But I learned long ago that you and I aren’t the same, and I love you for who you are. You’re an intelligent and strong woman, probably more so than me in both regards. What I have is experience in life and can say without reservation that your dad also has a special role in all of our lives. You may not think you need it, but he needs to protect you in the best way he can, and one of those ways is to ensure that you aren’t rushing into something with a young man he knows nothing about.”

“Come on, Mom, we all know grandpa has dug into every facet of Hunter’s life, and shared it all with dad. If there’s even the smallest blemish on his record we’d all know about it by now.”

“Yes, that’s probably true, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that your dad loves you and wants the best for you.”

When the women come into the living room and see me in the kitchen pouring wine into glasses, they both stop and stare. They have the same exact stance, and slight tilt of their heads. It’s uncanny.

“You better be good to her, Mr. Sparks,” Amy says while giving me a wink.

“I can’t promise anything more than my word that I always will,” I reply.

I hand each of them a drink. Then the three of us walk out to join Mr. Anderson and Isaiah for an afternoon refreshment. The crisp, cool white wine pairs nicely with the warm gentle breeze kissing our cheeks.

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