Jazmine Dubois woke up to sun rays beaming through the window. Waking up to a burning light was now how the girl wanted to start her morning. She squinted and used her hand to block her eyes from the sun, got out of bed, and closed the blinds. "Damn Caesar." Jazmine huffed. "Who keeps their blinds open all day?" She turned around to ask him. However, the bed was empty. Jazmine walked over to the nightstand and grabbed her phone. It was 7:30 in the morning. There go her plans to sleep in all day.
Besides the sun waking her up, Jazmine actually slept well last night. Crying all night before bed always made Jazmine felt better. Like every feeling from the night before just washed away. Jazmine walked out of the bedroom to find her boyfriend. She could smell eggs cooking from the kitchen, so she followed the smell. Caesar was cooking over the stove. He was already dressed for the day, wearing a gray T-Shirt and some jeans. Jazmine could not fathom how someone could wake up, get dressed, and cooking breakfast before 9 a.m. Or maybe Jazmine was just an oddball.
Caesar turned his head over his shoulder to see his girlfriend standing there. "Morning princess."
"Morning." Jazmine yawned. "You're up early."
"Yeah, I get up at 6 a.m. to get my morning run in," Caesar said. "I stopped by the store to buy you some vegetarian stuff, so you don't starve."
Awh." Jazmine walked over and kissed his cheek. She wrapped her arms around his abdomen, laying her head on his back. "You're the best boyfriend ever."
"Shit, I better be. This vegetarian food is expensive." Caesar grumbled to himself. "6.99 for a box with four vegetarian patties."
"You're not wrong." Jazmine agreed, releasing her arms from around him. "You would have a stroke if you saw how much money I spend on groceries. It's all in the name for animal rights."
Caesar chuckled and turned around, handing her a plate. "Well, here you go, my little animal activist. Eggs with vegetarian bacon. I hope you like it. Oh, and there is a coffee from Starbucks on the table."
"Starbucks and a homemade breakfast?" Jazmine swooned. "What did I do to deserve you?"
"Exist." Caesar leaned over and kissed her head. "Now go eat babe. I'll join you in a minute."
Jazmine took her plate and went into the dining room to eat. Before she could take a bite out of her food, her phone started vibrating. She was getting a google duo call from Huey. Jazmine picked up her phone and answered the call. Her baby girl was looking at her through the screen.
"Mommy!" Lela cheered.
"Hey, baby girl!" Jazmine greeted eagerly. "What are you doing?"
"Talking to you," Lela replied. Jazmine laughed at her daughter's response.
"Where's your daddy at?" Jazmine asked.
"He cooking breakfast," Lela said. "He is making me mickey mouse waffles!"
"Oh really now?" Jazmine snickered. Huey always talked about how much Walt Disney was a racist and how he refused to watch any Disney movies. How the tables turn when you become a parent. Lela took the phone she had and walked into the kitchen. She turned the camera around to show a shirtless Huey cooking breakfast. Jazmine had to bite her lip to keep herself from drooling. She knew that he had become more muscular after their four years apart, but it was a whole different world under his shirt. His abs and muscles were much bigger.
"Mommy, guess where daddy is taking me today?"
"Huh?" Jazmine snapped out of her daze. "Where is daddy taking you?"
"To see fishies and to get ice cream!" Lela said excitedly.
"Fishies and ice cream!? Now that sounds fun!" Jazmine smiled. "Huey, are you taking her to the national aquarium?"
"Yeah," Huey responded in the background. "I haven't been there since our 8th-grade field trip."
"Cindy and I took the kids there a couple of Summers ago. They loved it." Jazmine said. "Anyway, I'm going to let you go, okay? Be good for daddy. Love you baby doll!"
"I love you too mommy," Lela said and hung up the phone.
"Alright Lela, how old are you?"
"Three!"
"No, you're two."
Huey had just arrived at the National Aquarium. The tickets were not exactly cheap. Adult tickets were nearly 40 dollars while kid's tickets cost another 30. However, kids under two get in for free. There was no way Huey was going to spend 70 bucks at an aquarium. Now he understood why his Granddad made them lie about their ages when it came to movies and restaurants.
"But daddy, isn't that lying?" Lela asked.
"Well, yeah," Huey admitted. "Now Lela, it is never okay to lie. Except for this situation."
"Mommy said it is never okay to lie." Lela crossed her arms, scowling at him. Mini Jazmine really knew how to guilt trip. Huey didn't necessarily like the lesson he was teaching his daughter. But it wasn't enough for him to pay the 70 bucks to get both of them into the aquarium.
"Mommy is right," Huey admitted. "But the truth is, everyone lies, Lela."
"Even you and mommy lie?" Lela gasped
"Yes, we have. Though I have never lied to you before, nor do I plan on ever lying to you." Huey answered.
"Why do people lie?"
Huey took a deep breath before answering. "Sometimes people lie to avoid hurting someone's feelings. Or they lie to protect their own feelings. Some lie to be mean. Parents will even lie about their kid's age to get them into an aquarium for free."
"So, adults can lie, but kids can't?" Lela questioned. This girl would make a great detective one day.
"Well, I would want you to tell me the truth," Huey said. Lela could see the confused look she had on her face. "Anyway, how about we go inside now?" Huey changed the subject, as he did not feel like giving a 3-hour lecture about the principles of lying. He and Lela got out of the car and walked into the aquarium. A lady was working at the front desk when they walked in. "One adult ticket please."
"How old is she?" The lady asked referring to Lela.
"Two." Lela held up two fingers proudly.
"That's my girl." Huey thought to himself. He paid for his ticket and walked into the aquarium, holding his daughter's hand. "So, what do you want to do first? We can see dolphins, go into the rain forest exhibit, see the jellyfish or sharks- "
"They have sharks?" Lela whispered.
"Yep, they have all kinds of sharks here."
"No sharks, too scary!" Lela cried as she clung to her father. Huey chuckled to himself.
"We don't have to see the sharks if you don't want to."
"I want to see the jellyfish." Lela decided.
Huey took her by the hand and led her into the jellyfish exhibit. The room was pitch black, making it easier to see the jellyfish in the enlarged fish tanks. The jellyfish stood out like stars in the sky. It was kind of beautiful in away. What stood out to him more was the look on his daughter's face. Her jaw dropped from amazement.
"You want to get a closer look?" Huey asked. Lela nodded yes. He took his daughter up closer to one of the fish tanks. Lela raised her hand and gently put it on the glass. Her eyes sparkled as she watched the jellyfish swim around. Huey never took photos, but he just had to take a picture of this Kodak moment.
"Huey look!" Huey heard a voice.
Flashback.
"Huey, look at these jellyfish!" Fourteen-year-old Jazmine pointed out. "They're so pretty! Just look at how they swim- Hey are you even listening to me!?"
"Mhm-hmm. Sure." Fourteen-year-old Huey mumbled. Jazmine frowned and hit him with her bag. Now she had his full attention. "Ow! Jazmine, what the hell!?"
"You weren't listening to me!" Jazmine pouted. "I was talking about how pretty the jellyfish look!" She stopped for a second. "Wait, are you mad at me?"
"Mad?" Huey raised an eyebrow. "Why would I be mad?"
"Well, I know everyone else in our friend group wanted to see the sharks. But you know, sharks freak me out. Since the rules are we have to stay with our group, I couldn't see the jellyfish by myself. You had to come with me. But if you want to see the sharks so bad, I can suck it up- "
"Jazmine. I've had this same look on my face since we got here. I never wanted to come on this stupid field trip anyway, but Granddad made me go. So it doesn't really matter to me if I see the sharks or not. Just enjoy yourself here." Huey answered plainly.
"Oh," Jazmine said softly, her eyes slowly drooping. Huey frowned to himself. He never intended on hurting Jazmine's feelings. But whenever he did, the guilt crushed him like a boulder. He always hated seeing Jazmine upset. Maybe he could try out that whole "cheering up" thing. Huey planned his words out carefully in his head.
"Also, you look pretty when you smile," Huey stated. "So, uh…do that more often."
Jazmine stopped dead in her tracks. She felt her face heat up and the butterflies in her stomach. Did she actually hear him right? Huey Freeman, the former domestic terrorist, was calling her pretty?
"Did you just call me pretty?" Jazmine clarified
"Maybe." Huey turned his head away from her. Jazmine tilted her head to get a better look at him. There was a visibly red blush across his face.
"You're blushing!" Jazmine pointed at him.
"Am not!" Huey turned his back to her.
"Are too!" Jazmine teased. Huey shook his head and started to walk away from her. "Wait! Come back!" Jazmine giggled and started to chase after him.
"Daddy…Daddy…Daddy!"
"Huh?" Huey shook his head. "Oh, sorry baby. Daddy was thinking."
"I was talking about how pretty the jellyfish look!"
Huey managed to break in a small smile and pat her on the head. "You know, you're just like mommy. She had the same reaction when she saw the jellyfish for the first time."
"I want to see more fishies!" Lela exclaimed.
"Alright, where do you want to go?"
"I want to see dolphins now."
Huey took her hand and lead her to the dolphin exhibit. He remembered the last time they were here, they showed how they trained dolphins. Though he could not exactly concentrate on the lesson, seeing as Cindy, Caesar, and Hiro were in his group, along with Jazmine. He was surprised that they did not get kicked out. Huey stood in line for a while until they were able to get inside the exhibit. The father and daughter sat in the bleachers.
TW: Mentions about rape in this part. This part may come off as offensive, so if you are not a fan of that kind of stuff, just skip over it.
"Hiro, what the hell do you mean dolphins are gangstas!?" Fourteen-year-old Cindy gasped.
"It's true!" Hiro claimed. "It's been reported that groups of dolphins will go out and kill porpoises just for fun! They will also kill a dolphin's baby if they don't like its parent. Shit, don't get me started on how they treat female dolphins."
"How do they treat female dolphins?" The naïve Jazmine asked.
"You don't want to know," Huey responded, not looking up from the book he was reading.
Hiro smirked to himself. "Jazmine hun, let's just say they are very…. aggressive when it comes to mating season."
"….OH." Jazmine's eyes widened when she realized what she meant by that. "Hiro!" She quickly covered her ears and hid her face in her knees. Hiro started to laugh but stopped when he saw Huey Freeman glaring at him. Hiro shook his head. Jazmine was his good friend, but that girl was naïve. They were going to be in high school soon, so she had to grow up. Hiro thought he was doing her a favor.
"Hiro, why the hell do you happen to know all of this?" Caesar asked. "Do we need to look through your search history?"
Hiro laughed out loud. "I was researching some aquatic animals before we came on the field trip. I ended up coming across all these sources about how dolphins are the scariest creatures in the ocean, next to sharks. Certain species of dolphins will gang up on a female dolphin and force her to mate with them."
"That is so sad." Jazmine sympathized.
"There have been reports that dolphins tried to have sex with scuba divers too," Hiro added.
"Well Jazmine, good thing your dad isn't a scuba diver." Caesar joked. Hiro and Cindy busted out into fits of laughter. Jazmine did not know whether to laugh or be completely mortified. Huey refused to acknowledge his "friends". Most of the kids at their school did not understand their friend group. They were all complete opposites of each other. The only reason they were friends was that Huey and Jazmine were friends. Jazmine followed Huey around like a lost puppy, so eventually, Cindy started hanging around Huey as well. Then eventually Hiro and Caesar started to warm up to the two girls. Especially Caesar with Jazmine. When Huey introduced them, he thought he saw cupid shoot an arrow into Caesar. Huey was normally oblivious to things like romance, but it was hard to ignore that the man was crushing. Though Jazmine was too oblivious to realize it. Huey did not have to worry about Caesar asking her out anytime soon.
"Hey, Lela," Huey said. Lela looked up at him in response. "Did you know dolphins are really smart?"
"They are?"
"Yep. They have some similarities to us in a way. They like to hang out with other dolphins, they can also mimic other humans. They can even understand sign language, to in extent." Huey explained.
"Daddy, do you know everything?" Lela asked.
"Not everything," Huey admitted.
Huey and Lela ended up watching the dolphins. Huey thought the dolphins were nice, but he was more focused on his daughter. Every time the dolphins did a cool trick, Lela let out this contagious laugh. It even made Huey smile a few times. Once the dolphin shows were over, he took her to a couple more exhibits. After that, Huey took her to go get ice cream as promised. He drove to a near ice cream shop and took her in.
"What kind of ice cream do you want?" Huey asked.
"Cookie monster!"
"Cookie monster?" Huey repeated. Lela pointed at blue colored ice cream with chocolate chips in it. "Oh, mint chocolate chip. You sure that is what you want?"
"Yep!" Lela nodded.
Huey ordered Lela a small cup of mint chocolate chip and plain vanilla for himself. They sat down at the table and started eating. Huey was surprised Lela liked the mint chocolate chip. That was one thing he and Jazmine disagreed on. Mint chocolate chip was her favorite ice cream. Huey thought it was gross. If he wanted mint, he could chug down a bottle of toothpaste.
"Daddy, I have a question," Lela stated.
"What is it?"
"Do you love my mommy?"
Huey nearly choked on the ice cream in his mouth. How did this question pop into a three-year-old head? She may be three, but her brain was at least nine-years-old. He grabbed a napkin and whipped his mouth before answering her. "Well…I don't hate her."
"You said you would never lie to me." Lela frowned. Huey sighed. Guess Jazmine and Caesar were not the only ones who could read him. Though he did promise Lela he would never lie to her. Huey never went back on promises.
"Alright Princess, this may sound confusing for a kid your age." Huey began. Lela sat up, giving her full attention to her father. "I do love your mother. I've loved her since we were teenagers, maybe even as young as ten years old."
"So, if you love her, why don't you marry her?" Lela asked.
"Because daddy made a stupid decision and broke mommy's heart," Huey explained.
"Did you say sorry?"
"Sometimes saying sorry is not enough." Huey reached over and held her hand. "Now mommy is an amazing woman. She is strong, beautiful, courageous. I couldn't ask for anyone better to be your mommy. She deserves the world, but I can't give that to her. She loves Caesar now, and he loves her." Huey had to fight back a tear threatening to leak.
"Okay." Lela slumped in her seat, pouting. Huey chuckled to himself.
"What's wrong?"
"I wish my mommy and daddy were together like Justin's." Lela frowned.
"I know, but think of it this way. But you still have a mommy and daddy, and that's all that matters. Okay?"
"Okay." Lela sighed, still not satisfied with her father's answer.
"Come on baby, let's clean you up before we go home."
Huey took her into the washroom and cleaned the ice cream off of her face. Once her face was clean, Huey took her to the car and drove home. Lela had already fallen asleep in her car seat. Huey parked in front of his apartment, got out of the front seat, picked her up, and carried her into the apartment.
"Huey Freeman is that you!?" A woman's voice shouted.
Huey turned to see a light-skinned woman making her way towards him. She had long blonde hair about Jazmine's shade and had a face full of makeup. It took Huey a few seconds to realize who it was.
" Shit you probably don't remember me, do ya?" The lady laughed.
"No. You're Crystal, as the champagne." Huey remembered.
"Shit, you do remember me!" Crystal bellowed. "Look at how big you've gotten, and tall, muscular, handsome…" She placed her hand on his chest. Huey quickly backed away from her attempted flirting. Did she really not see the child in his arms?
"So how have you been?" Huey quickly changed the subject.
"I've been okay." Crystal shrugged. "Now 31 years old, working, living in an apartment. Though I ain't working for that punk ass A Pimp Name Slimpback no more. "
"Really? Good for you. So what do you know?"
"Oh, I'm a stripper!"
"Well…that's better than being a prostitute. "Huey shrugged.
"Anyway, it seems like YOU have been busy." Crystal looked up and down at Lela. "She yours?"
"Yeah." Huey looked at Lela. "This is Lela, my daughter."
"What a cutie!" Crystal squealed. "She looks like that little girl you used to play with when you were a kid!"
"…That's actually her mother," Huey said.
"Shit, no way!" Crystal laughed. "I knew eventually ya'll fall in love and get married- "
"We're not married."
"So you're a single daddy? I've always found it attractive when a father is interested in his daughter." Crystal said seductively. Huey wanted to puke up the ice cream he had from earlier. He already washed her laundry once before and was not interested in doing it again. "How's your granddaddy? He still kicking it?"
"Yeah, he's in the Woodcrest nursing home. I will go see him after I drop Lela off at her mom's tomorrow. "
"Well, tell him I said hi." Crystal said. Huey remembered how heartbroken he was when Crystal left him. He stayed up late for months until it finally hit him that she was not coming home. It was hard for a ten-year-old to watch his Granddad so depressed.
"Sure, I will let him know you said hello," Huey said sarcastically. "Anyway, I need to get her ready for bed."
"Alright, my apartment is 4B if you ever need a babysitter or other services." Chrystal winked before she walked off. Huey felt gross from head to toe. Huey was not the random hook up type of guy. Especially when it came to his grandfather's ex-girlfriends. Even thinking about that sounded like some Alabama type shit. Once he finished putting Lela to bed, He was going to take a long shower. He went inside his apartment and got Lela to bed. He went straight into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
Huey could not believe that Crystal was actually flirting with him. She knew him when he was ten years old. Guess she will go after anyone that is over the age of 18. Besides, he was not attracted to Crystal in the slightest. There was only one person that Huey was attracted to, and that was Jazmine. That woman was in his head every second of the day. Huey would have never thought that she would drive him this crazy. Her smile, her laugh, her touch…her body. He didn't just miss it all, he craved it all. Huey had "desires", just like everyone else does. He was still human. Though he knew nobody could satisfy him that way Jazmine could. Zhara was never able to do that. All he wanted to do was touch her and…
Huey slammed his fist against the shower wall. "Snap out of it!" He growled to himself. That was the mother of his child and his best friend's girl. He shouldn't be having these fantasies or thoughts about her. He broke her heart. He was an idiot and lost one of the best things that ever happened to him. Huey didn't deserve Jazmine, or to even think about her as much as he did. Huey wanted Jazmine out of his head and out of his mind. But she just wouldn't leave, and Huey did not know how to get her out. Huey took a deep breath and changed to water from hot to cold.
"God damn it, Jazmine…" Huey muttered under his breath.