So What?

Chapter 27: Favors.

"Your mother is now an American citizen." She says and I stare at her in shock.

"Did you sleep with someone for this?" I ask her and she smacks me.

"I gotta ask because the last time I checked these things take years." I add.

"I called in a few favors. The connect I had down at immigration actually knew an old friend of mine who happened to be his superior. I did a couple of things and got the work done." She tells me and I hug her.

"Thank you." I tell her.

"Don't thank me, Jasmine. You're the one who gave me the money." She says as I pull away.

"But you made it work. This changes everything." I tell her and she nods.

"We have to make your mom's favorite." She tells me.

"Rice and curry?" I say, chuckling.

"No. The other favorite." She retorts.

"I'll go grocery shopping." I tell her.

"Do you want me to come with you?" She asks and I shake my head.

"No, I'll be back before you know it." I tell her, heading toward the door. Putting my shoes on, I grab my purse before I head out the door.

Shopping takes me about thirty minutes and I head to Starbucks. I order a frappuccino as I wait for my father. I'm playing with the plastic bag on the table when someone seats in front of me.

Seeing him, time stopped. His salt and pepper beard looked recently trimmed and he gelled back his hair. He has on a flannel shirt.

"Hi, Dad." I say, my voice is shaky.

I don't know how to react. I haven't seen this man since I was a baby. I don't even remember him. It's so foreign seeing him sitting across from me.

"Hi, Jasmine." He says, his deep baritone voice filling my ears. "You've gotten so big now."

"You wanted to meet up." I say, getting straight to the point. I'm not here to play catch up.

"I didn't leave you, Jasmine. Your mother kicked me out." He starts and I fold my arms.

"And why should I believe you?" I ask him, skeptical.

"You don't have to believe me, but I want you to know my truth. You can decide if you listen or walk away." He tells me.

"Continue." I say, staring at him.

"A week before your birth, I found out your mother was cheating on me with a co-worker of hers. I had suspected that she was having an affair, but I couldn't prove it until I saw him kiss her when I went to surprise her at work." He says, staring into space as if reliving the scenario.

"I went home and when she came back I confronted her about it. She called me crazy. She was fond of doing that. That was her go-to gaslighting move. She went into labor the next week and I pressed for a DNA test. You were mine. I was relieved. She insisted on breaking up with me. This took me by surprise because I forgave her for her infidelity and she still wanted to get rid of me. I stood my ground and told her that I wasn't leaving."

"We shared an apartment at the time and one day when I was at work she threw all my things in the dumpster and burned them. She then proceeded to call my job and told me that if I came around the apartment or you, she'll call the cops." He says and I stare at him in confusion.

"My mother told me that you left because you fell in love with a white woman and abandoned me and her." I tell him.

"I met my wife, Denise, after she kicked me out. She was working at the inn I was staying at and we hit it off right away. A year later, we got married and your mother started calling me asking for child support. I asked her to send me her account details but she never did. Instead, she got a restraining order from me and vowed that I would never see you." He recounts.

"Wow. I can't believe what I'm hearing. So, my mother is literally crazy because this isn't how a normal person behaves. And all this time she made it out to be that you didn't want anything to do with me." I say, my voice breaking at the end.

"She lied to me." I tell him, feeling betrayed. A tear falls down my eye and I look down at the table.

"Look, I've forgiven your mother for what she did. And you should too. People make mistakes." He says, touching my hand.

"No. She was a literal bitch to you. And she made you the villain in the story she sold to me. And I ate it up. Of course, I was a kid what do you expect." I say, shrugging.

"I really hope we can move past this and have a relationship." He says and I nod.

"Sure. I'll call you. Right now, I have to go cook dinner before my mom gets back." I say, standing up. I grab the plastic bags on the table.

"I get it. You need time to process all this. And time away from me. You can go." He says and I nod at him. I head towards my apartment building across the street.

My mother is going to get it so hot from me.