Understandably, Jazmine wouldn't pick up his calls.
It's been around 2 weeks now since their fight in Christmas. 2 weeks without seeing his girlfriend would be an eternity in a long-distance relationship but in the past they have managed to work things out.
To say that Huey is unfazed by his current situation wouldn't be exactly accurate. He left Jazmine in a bad situation but he plans to tell her the news that he'll come back to D.C. and transition to working at a more nearby location.
Nonetheless, he still has a lot to do before making that transition. It's been his 4th time now since he's been detained by the police and brought in for questioning. The media is crediting him with a black rights movement in Salt Lake City which was directly inspired by his rallies. Apparently he was responsible for soliciting a city-wide protest.
Same old, same old. Huey has been living like a hermit for the past year. He sometimes spends the night in his car, he's always on the move and kept on his toes. Sometimes a devout supporter would invite him to their home and he would sleep on a couch or on a carpet floor, he could never imagine asking Jazmine to accompany him to this kind of lifestyle—while he does believe that Jazmine can handle this kind of stuff, he made a promise to Tom to never subject her to such a rigorous and uncomfortable life.
At the very least he has a whole team of associates who assist him. Huey hates calling them disciples but that's the nickname Jazmine came up for them. More often than Huey liked, Jazmine would to compare him to Jesus and his apostles before they stopped doing video calls.
The name of Freeman has come up too many times than he would prefer and his work is always in the public eye. He would notice camera crews follow him everytime he makes a speech and the paparazzi is obessively on his tail.
His people do everything they can on the back-end. They would escort him away from the cameras, they are his security, his campaign managers, and his most loyal followers. But he can't help but compare them to Jazmine. Truthfully, it's just not the same without her—he misses the days where it was simply just him and her and some local problem they need to solve in Woodcrest. She was his aide, his secretary, and his co-partner. When everyone else doubted him, she was the only who listened.
He can't ignore the fact that she was his first ever supporter. When no one else listened to him, she was the only one who supported him.
Once again, he still has a lot to do before making the transition and making his move back to Woodcrest. He still owned his office in D.C. and he plans to make it the headquarters for the Freeman Foundation. It would be from there where he can coordinate his efforts across the entire country.
Jazmine was discharged after spending a night in the hospital. For the past 2 weeks she has been taking her prescribed pills and abstaining from showers.
For some reason she hasn't really found the energy to shower lately. It's such an odd fact but in truth she doesn't really find the point in showering anymore.
She ordered some sort of pizza the other day, she wasn't really in the mood to cook. She's pretty sure that she just ate some sort of meat topping but she doesn't really care anymore.
Her doctor has been telling her that she's showing signs of depression. But the pills have been helping her keep it in check. She's constantly in a bittersweet mood but she's still managing to smile. She tries to keep in pace with her classes and she meets with her friends from time to time.
It has already been 2 weeks and yet she still doesn't know how to process that day when she had a mental breakdown. She doesn't really know how to digest the fact that she almost kissed Michael. In the heat of the moment, she remembered that she wanted to kiss him—but she can't decide if it was just the symptom of her misery or whether she was being taken advatange of.
But she has come to terms that she doesn't mind Michael's romantic interest in her. If there is no end in sight to Huey's long distance relationship then it would be good to keep her options open. She doesn't object to the fact that she might just end up with Michael and move back with him to Woodcrest. Not everyone can live the life that they always wanted and as long as her situation doesn't change, that possibility grows more likely by the day.
Her doctor said that she should distance herself away from her emotional troubles. Since Huey has been the catalyst, her doctor recommends to distance herself away from him until her mental health gets better. Everytime her phone rings and his phone number appears on the screen, it would act as her reminder to take her pills.
She doesn't really care if he's calling to apologize. She doesn't really care anymore if he has some sort of good news to say. Anything he's going to say won't mean anything because it doesn't change the fact that he's not going to come home. It doesn't change the fact that he's chasing his dream and she's left here to suffer alone. She has been ignoring his calls for 2 weeks now and she can tell that he's not going to visit anytime soon. So what difference does it make if she answers his calls?
It's not fair for her. It's not fair for her to keep being miserable for him. She worries about him everyday but she's so sick and tired of being scared for him. Everytime she thinks about his job, she's supposed to be proud of all the good things he's doing for people, that's what good girlfriends do right? But the only she thing she can think about is her nightmare—the nightmare that Huey is going to die. Or that in the long months of loneliness, he's going to find another woman. Or that he gets addicted to his work to the point that he'll never come back home.
It's not fair to her and it's only making her mental health worse. But there's no point in being miserable anymore.
Jazmine takes a short walk in the park, alone. She doesn't really want to talk to people, for the past few weeks she often finds herself wanting be left alone.
Talking to people has been a bit energy-draining to her. Everyone keeps giving her advice or offering words of encouragement—she appreciates their concern but she can't stand being the object of pity anymore.
She hates that she's this woman who can't handle her emotions. She hates that after all these moments of maturity and growing-up, she's still this naive little girl who cries at every little thing and has to depend on others to keep her stable.
Jazmine brings out her hand and she lets the snow fall on her glove. She looks up to see it snowing again, as the bright afternoon sun illuminate the empty city park. She can't help but feel sad whenever it snows. Everytime it starts snowing, something bad would always happen.
She used to love snow. The innocence of her youth would suggest she would make a snowman or make snow-angels on the ground. She used to love the cold. She loved it when after a long winter day, she would bundle up in her bed and watch cartoons in her room until it was bedtime. She used to love the feeling when she felt cold and her skin stinging from the frost and then she would retreat under a dozen different blankets to feel unbelievably cozy.
"I wish it was summer right now... I hate being cold." Jazmine thinks to herself.
She hates having to depend on others. She doesn't really want to feel like a burden. People should be going about their day and minding their own business and she hates it when people have to set aside their time to watch over her like some sort of porcelain vase that's going to break without constant supervision.
She doesn't know if she should blame her dad about that. Tom always took care of her 'delicate' nature by protecting her from all the world's dangers. She was 'daddy's girl' and he wouldn't let anything happen to her.
But with her parents' divorce and moving out on her own, Tom said that Huey is gonna protect her from now own. She remembered thinking how messed up that sounds. It's like her dad transferred ownership! And yet while she's standing in the park and without a 'Huey' to protect her, she hates it how correct her daddy had been all along.
She sighs.
A long breathy sigh that's says she's just fed up with herself.
"Hey! Jaz!" She spots a man running up to her.
"Hi..." Jazmine frowns. "How are you Michael?"
"I'm good! Are you alright?"
She replies. "I'm alright."
"Jill told me that you're skipping class. Why do you want to take a walk in the park? We're still worried about you."
"I'm..." She pauses. "I'm fine Caesar."
"I'm just worried that you're gonna have another... another crisis again..."
She raises an eyebrow. "Crisis? You mean a mental breakdown?"
Michael awkwardly rubs his arm. "Yeah..."
"Don't worry. I'm good now... the doctor said I should just take pills."
He frowns. "Don't you think that's bad? That you're taking pills?"
"Not at all." She blankly states.
"But... why?"
She speaks tiredly. "You're not my dad, Michael... you can't tell me what to do."
Michael insists. "But I'm worried about you."
"Alright then."
Jazmine and Michael looks each other in the eye. She can tell that Michael has deep black eyes and in the glistening sun she can see her own reflection within his gaze. She can see herself, in her pink hat and her black winter jacket—her face looks so tired and worn.
"I said... I'm worried about you." Michael repeats.
"Okay then. So?" Jazmine frowns.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm a bit sad. But I'm fine Michael. Am I supposed to be smiling all the time?"
"I want to help you to feel better... are you still alright with going to the zoo? I want to be honest with you Jazmine, I'm not trying to get into your pants and I'm not trying to ask you out on a date! I just want you to be happy okay? I'm worried about you!"
She sighs. "So what if you're worried? Am I supposed to feel better when people worry about me?"
"Of course not Jazmine!"
"Then stop saying it like it's going to magically make my life better! So what!? So what if you're worried about me?"
"I- I just don't know what to do... I don't know how I can stop you from being so sad... I miss the happy, smiling Jazmine."
"Well Michael... it's not my job to smile and look pretty... I don't have to smile for anyone."
He holds his head down, realizing his mistake. "Sorry. If I was a bit pushy..."
Jazmine admits. "I just want to be left alone. I don't want to go out with you to the zoo."
Michael and Jazmine stand amidst the falling snow. The air is still and there isn't a single tear in sight. Jazmine doesn't feel like crying, she is just tired of it all, Jazmine is tired of the drama and the pain. She almost sounded like Huey. She doesn't owe anyone her happiness. She's completely fine being bitter and sad for the time being.
"Are we still friends?" Michael asks.
"We are."
Jazmine's heart slowly cracks at her own answer. She can't ignore the fact that her situation remains. She can't be mad at Michael for acting so worried about her. She can't blame him for his actions because he geniunely cares about her. If Huey doesn't care about her happiness anymore then she'll just have to take her chances with Michael and continue her journey without Huey.
She speaks in a tired voice. "I just want to be left alone Michael... see you tomorrow okay?"
"Okay Jaz... hope you get better."
Jazmine frowns. "Thanks... thanks for understanding."
Huey can't come home for a few more months.
In a chilly New York afternoon, he can feel the snowflakes accumulating on his afro. He feels a bitter feeling in his chest because Jazmine has been ignoring his calls. He's annoyed and rattled, he's in discomfort and in a bitter mood. Why is she ignoring his calls? For the past 2 weeks, he has tried to call her everyday.
A thousand different thoughts race throughout his mind—he wonders if he had already lost Jazmine and doesn't even know it. He pictures the smug look of Adrian's face or the shy smile of embarassment from Caesar.
He sighs.
A long breathy sigh that says he's just fed up with the failure of Huey Freeman.
The failure of his absence, the failure that he's making Jazmine cry. The failure that Caesar is probably with her and he is a thousand miles away. He just wishes he could be in 2 places at the same time.
He wants to come home and show her his surprise gift. He wants to tell her that he bought a 50-acre plot of land and that he's going to build a house for them to live in.
Is this what people feel like when they plan to propose? He doesn't have a ring. He has a 50-acre plot of land. It's more expensive than any ring in the world and in typical Huey fashion, it has more utility and more tangible usefulness than a stupid shiny rock.
And yet all he could he do is pray. Jazmine always tells him that if he wants something, he should pray to God. His response was to always scoff and shake his head, his idea of God isn't some sort of fairy godmother or a Santa Claus who will give him what he wants as long as he stays nice.
But nonetheless, every night he would 'pray' to the universe. He would pray that everything wrong in the world would just resolve itself. It's a stupid childish wish, like a kid asking God to end world hunger, but perhaps Jazmine's naivety has influenced him more than he had liked.
"Mr. Freeman!"
In the cold afternoon, in the chilly New York streets, a girl who looks way too similar to Jazmine runs up to him.
She's young, about 16 in age, and her hair is kept in a puffy twin-bun style.
"Can I help you?" Huey says to the stranger.
"Thank you so so much Mr. Freeman!"
He replies. "I don't believe we have met before."
The girl gives him a bright smile, she struggles to contain her utter joy of seeing him. "You helped my mom get out of debt! T-The Freeman Foundation paid for her surgery! Thank you Mr. Freeman!"
He makes a slight nod and he replies in a low looming voice. "Hmm... you're welcome."
Her smile grows brighter. "I'm Julia by the way! My mom and I will never forget what you've done! You're the best Mr. Freeman!"
"That's very kind of you to say... but I have to be on my way... you're welcome."
Jazmine is only 4 hours apart from Huey, 4 hours by car and 1 hour by plane. He's walking in a busy New York street—on his way to coordinate a worker's strike. Jazmine is walking in a snow-covered park—on her way to a destination she hasn't yet decided. She's just simply wandering in the park, more than likely to catch a cold and in deep concentration with her thoughts.
Jazmine looks up to see a crow flying overhead. The color of black feathers make a sharp contrast on the white snow of the empty park. From her veterinarian courses, she knows that crows are supposed to migrate south for the winter. And yet Jazmine continues to observe the crow flying above her, the crow looks to be flying in circles, as if it's confused on which way to go.
Huey used to lecture her about how animals are going to struggle in the future. Because of climate change, there's going to be more and more early winters—migratory species like crows aren't prepared to migrate during early winters...
Jazmine frowns as she looks at the crow. This little guy must have been left behind. The crow could be young and was never taught by his mother the right path to fly south. In the chaos of an early migration, the crow must have been left behind by his own family.
The crow is doomed to fly in circles. She learned from her classes that not all youngsters survive their very 1st trip down south. Sometimes, a young bird on their very first trip simply gets lost and they starve to death in the cold. Such is the dual nature of life—both beautiful and cruel.
"Mr. Richie Roo Everett." Jazmine names the crow. From the size of the crow's wings, she can tell the crow is male. "Mr. Richie Roo Everett!" She giggles at her new name for the crow.
She stares at the crow before it flies away from the distance. In her heart, she kinda wishes that the crow would stay so that she wouldn't be so lonely in the park.
She sighs.
"Mr. Richie Roo Everett.. what do you think I should do with Huey?"
Silence answers her question. She would've been delighted by the faint flapping of wings or a distant 'caw' from the distance. Any response from the universe would've comforted her desparate plea for answers and yet.
Silence. And what exactly did she expect? The crow has been long gone.
Jazmine has been gaining weight ever since she's been taking her pills. If she just gives up on Huey and break up with him... then maybe she can finally stop taking these pills.
But the pills are the only thing that's keeping her sane. Because if she doesnt, she's afraid she'll have another mental breakdown from her situation with Huey. Michael is completely in the right to worry about her. She's sick and she's hurting inside. To her, it feels like her heart is bleeding out and her eyes are ready to cry tears of blood.
She can't help it. She's Jazmine Dubois. She worries about people. She gets scared easily and she just wants to be hugged. Huey can try to change her all he wants, he can tell her that she should be strong and that she shouldn't cry. Huey can try to toughen her up, he can try to teach her how to control her emotions.
He keeps trying to teach Jazmine how to be Huey Freeman. To be stoic, stubborn, and unfeeling. But after so many attempts, Jazmine remains the same. Jazmine will never be a Huey Freeman. She will always have this curse. And it will follow her wherever she goes. She will always be Jazmine Dubois. Her curse is of a frail little naive girl who simply just wants to be hugged.
It is her curse to worry about him. It is her curse to always have nightmares in her dreams. It is her curse to live every waking moment in fear that he'll never come back to her. This is the severity of Jazmine's love. This describes the undescribable feeling of love she has for Huey Freeman.
"Mr. Richie Roo Everett... where are you going? Which way are you going to fly?" She pouts to the sky.
Jazmine looks back at the pleasant moments in her life. In her dark bedroom and the dim light of their bedside lamp. She thinks about the day when she and Huey first had sex. It was their very first time making love. She wanted to save her virginity until marriage, she wanted her first time to be with the man she'll spend the rest of her life with.
She asked if he will stay with her forever. Huey responded that he'll always stay. Then she became the happiest woman in the world, he carried her in his arms and led her to their bed.
She thought about the time when Huey had gotten sick. He was confined to his bed and he urged her to stay away from him. For 3 straight days, she would put in the effort to wake up early and cook. Whenever Huey's alarm clock rang, she would hear the cue and bring his breakfast to eat in bed. She always felt miserable to see him so sick... all she wanted to do in those days is give him a hug but Huey won't risk her getting infected as well.
Until his birthday came around. Like one of God's mysterious ways, Jazmine got sick on Huey's birthday. Huey no longer had an excuse to push her away because she was already sick. She gave him a gift and for the entire evening they cuddled together until her legs had gone numb and her cheeks sticked to his face.
"Mr. Richie Roo..." She smiles. It's hard not to smile at that memory.
Jazmine finds a spot to sit down. It's a snow covered bench in the middle of the park. The howling wind is only getting worse and the cold is taking more and more of its toll on her.
But Jazmine doesn't mind the cold anymore. After all these hours of just wandering around, she's gotten used to walking around under falling snow.
Huey is calling her. Her own ringtone has become ominous to her. Huey's daily call has become her daily reminder to take her pills. Even after all this time, she had avoided all his past calls. She doesn't know if she should be mad at him or plead for him to come back.
In her mind, she silently groans. For a final time, she tries to look to the sky and ask Mr. Richie Roo Everett again for advice.
She answers the call. She takes the leap forward.
Huey... "Hello? Jazmine?"
Please don't be mad... "Hi..."
I'm so cold Huey... "Jazmine! Are you hurt?!"
I miss your voice... " I'm fine. Everything's fine."
Please come home... "I have something to tell you. It's important."
I want to see you again... "What is it Huey?"
I want these nightmares to stop... "I'm going to buy land in Woodcrest. We're going to build a house and live together."
I miss your angry stares... "Are you going to come home Huey?"
I miss the smiles that you try to hide... "I can't. Not yet."
I miss wearing all your different shirts... "Huey... that's all I really want... I want you to come home."
I dream to be Jazmie Freeman someday... "My work is important Jazmine, I promise you, I'll come home next month."
I pray for your safety everyday... "I'm important! I'm your girlfriend! It's been 6 months Huey! I'm so sick of this!"
I can never stay mad at you... "Jazmine... don't be ridiculous. I was there on Christmas."
Because you always keep me safe... "That doesn't count! That stupid Christmas doesn't count! That was the worst day in my entire life... how dare you!?"
You protect me... "I didn't call you to fight. I said I bought land... we're going to build a house."
You keep me warm and you make me smile... "I DON'T care about some stupid piece of land! I want you to come home!"
I don't know how to live without you Huey... "Jazmine... for the last time, I can't come home right now. How the hell is this fair?!"
I'm sorry for what I said... "Fair?! You want to talk about fair?! You promised that you would never leave! You promised that you would stay with me forever! Where the hell are you?! Where is your promise now?!"
I'm so sorry... "I told you to finish your business classes! I told you that switching to degrees is gonna leave you stranded in D.C.! Did you fucking listen to me?! How the fuck am I getting blamed for all this?! You said that you were going to follow me! You said that no matter what the hell I do, you will be by my side and help my fucking movement! So which one of us broke their fucking promise first?!"
Please, forgive me my love... "Huey... I-
"I left Christmas so that I wouldn't say anything I'd regret. But here's what I fucking think... I'm tired of this shit Jazmine... My head fucking hurts because I only get 3 hours of sleep. You think I'm doing all this shit for the fun of it Jazmine?! You think I'm travelling to some random ass part of the country because I enjoy this?! I'm trying to fucking fix this country! I'm trying to fucking build a better future for everyone!"
"Huey... please... forgiv-
"Because I don't want our fucking kid to be raised in goddamn dystopia! I don't want our kid to be screwed over by the cruel and evil fuckers of this world! You think I'm being paranoid?! I wouldn't be able to fucking live with myself if our kid has to suffer prejudice and bias simply from the color of their own skin! Now tell me, you wanna talk about fairness?! I'm giving everything that I have to build a better fucking future for our child. My time, my sanity, and my health so that we as a family can have a better life! Jazmine, all you have to do is fucking take your classes and finish your stupid vet degree and now you blame me that this is all my fucking fault?!"
"Huey... this isn't segregation times! This isn't... t... y- you... want to start... a family?"
"I think that chance is gone now. Goodbye. I don't having time for this bullshit."
He asked to be left alone. Huey Freeman is standing by the windows. The view overlooks the urban sprawl of New York City below.
He is in full business attire, inside one of the tallest skyscrapers in the city. In his hand is his phone. And in his eyes, he has shed a single tear.
"Granddad... what the hell do I do?" He sighs.
A few moments ago. He had yelled at Jazmine on the phone. That was the first time in a decade when he had lost control of his emotions.
He told her that she just has to wait. He told her that they're going to build a house together. Huey Freeman doesn't have a lot of dreams, but his dream was to build his house in the countryside and share it with Jazmine Dubois.
What did Jazmine say? "I don't care about some stupid piece of land!"
Perhaps she wasn't thinking straight in the moment. Perhaps she's just too full of herself to even think about the bigger picture. Huey doesn't know what to think of it anymore.
That was his ring. That was the good news he had been trying to tell her. For 2 weeks, he has been trying to call her everyday and tell her that the future is going to look bright. And Jazmine spat in his idea and had never once listened to his words.
She doesn't listen. Can't she understand that he can't come home? He barely has time to sleep, he barely has time to eat. Every single day is a struggle to keep himself alive due to the demand that is placed upon him.
Every single day, he has to meet a hundred different people, perform several different speeches, and solve a thousand different problems. And yet Jazmine doesn't want to listen that he can't make time for her.
Huey sighs. "Hello... I would like to speak to Ming Long-Dou."
After a few moments of waiting on the phone, a familiar voice responds. "Huey Freeman?"
"I changed my mind. I'd like to cancel our land deal."
"Oh... what a shame."
"A shame indeed. I apologize Ming."
"I'll see to it then. Next time, don't cause so much trouble."
"Thank you Ming. Goodbye."
Has he finally given up? Has he given up on Jazmine? She would always say that love will always prevail. And yet their love has become nothing more than a curse.
Huey stares into the window and into the city below him. Relationships are all about sacrifice. It's all about comprimising for your loved one and putting your partner's needs first before your own.
That is the key to a healthy relationship. One that guarantees a long-lasting marriage.
But who exactly is the one making sacrifices? Huey has to travel and work. Jazmine has to live alone and study. Huey wonders if he's in the wrong for not coming home when she asks. Huey wonders if it is wrong to ignore her crying and her desparate pleas to come home.
...
...
...
One of his assistants knock softly on the door. "Mr. Freeman... you have a meeting with the workers' union in 3 minutes."
He responds. "Thank you. Give me a couple minutes."
Huey stares into the window and into the skies above him. He spots a crow flying overhead. He's read from a book that crows are a migratory species. They're supposed to fly south for the winter. What is this crow doing in the middle of winter?
Huey ponders and organizes his thoughts. The soft fluttering of wings can be heard from a distance...
"Screw this meeting..." He mutters.
"Screw that stupid piece of land..." He whispers.
"I'm getting a fucking ring."
Jazmine dropped her phone on the ground. It is buried on the snow.
In the distance she saw a figure walking up to her.
Adrian called out. "Jazmine! Are you alright?!"
Ruh-roh raggy. Cliffhanger. This chapter is just pure drama and I did not pull any punches in writing. Will Huey finally decide to come home or is he too late and Jazmine has finally given up? Tune in next time to Our Future Revolution