Chapter 2
Jasina was in the mood to make spaghetti as she walked down the aisle of the local market, tapping her chin in thought. Her black shades were on top of her head and she was wearing a red tank top with blue jean shorts, her hair down. Sauce was so hard to decide considering the ingredients she used. She picked an Italian one up and kept going, rounding the corner and smashed right into another cart. The glasses fell down from her head over her eyes as she looked at who was in front of her, feeling her heart stop for a brief second, and swallowed hard.
"Sorry." She quietly whispered before backing up and going around him, fixing the glasses on her face.
"No, I'm sorry." Mark apologized, watching her walk away and shook his head.
"Hey miss, ya dropped this!" Arielle bent down, picking up a can and ran to catch the woman, smiling broadly. "Here you go!" She held it out, her green eyes sparkling, her honey chestnut hair pinned back in a simple braid. "Ma'am?"
Taking a deep breath, Jasina turned around and bent down as she took the can from the little girl. "Thank you sweetheart." She murmured gently, cracking a small smile before standing back up and placed the can back in her cart. Arielle had Mark's eyes and her hair, she had to get out of there before she ended up taking the girl she birthed in her arms. Jasina quickly rushed to the checkout line, blinking tears away.
Mark had watched the interaction with a grin, until the woman walked away like someone had lit her ass on fire.
"Daddy, I don't think she likes kids."
"Why do ya say that, lil darlin'?"
"She took off kinda fast."
Once inside her car, Jasina had to learn how to breathe again and let the tears fall, sliding her glasses off and threw them in the passenger seat. This was ridiculous. She came back here to tell Mark what happened all those years ago and to try and get back in his daughter's life, only to keep running every chance that came across her. Jasina was a coward, she knew it, but she was scared to death and had every right to be. Mark wasn't a normal man. He was six foot ten and weighed over three hundred pounds. Three hundred pounds that would probably crush her if she ever showed her face around him again. Jasina trembled more as she shakily started her car and pulled out of there, her vision blurred, and tried clearing it.
~!~
"Hey Mark, listen to this." Steve cleared his throat, feet on the desk as he ate his lunch, the newspaper spread out on his legs. He began reading an article, pausing only to swallow.
Too used to Steve's disgusting eating habits, Mark just listened, busy eating leftover chicken from home, nodding in agreement. "Who wrote it?"
"Guy by the name of Jade. Maybe a girl; writes like a girl."
Addiction
It's a powerful thing. I should know better than anyone. The reason why I'm writing this is because I went through a similar situation ten years ago. I had the perfect life. Happy marriage. A beautiful child. Everything was perfect. Though not in the way some may think. Addiction can warp a person's mind and make them do something so irrational and ridiculous that it seems to be the only way out. Drugs is what my addiction was. I'm writing not for pity, but to tell anyone who reads this that it's never too late. Don't wait to correct your wrongs in life. It's too short. Believe me, I know. If your addiction is overtaking every thought, every mindset, every love in your life, then I'm telling you right now to get out of it. Find a way. Because once you lose those people who mean most to you, you will never forgive yourself.
Until next time, my friends.
~Jade~
Mark had taken the paper and reread that, finally clipping out the short piece and tacking it to the already lined wall. It was his office, granted, but the walls were covered in everything from prices to their services. To Arielle's school work and clippings from local people offering their services for babysitting or other things.
"Wow, it went on the WALL, I'm impressed."
~!~
"Jade, this is unbelievable, girl! How much emotion you poured in this piece is by far anything we've experienced before. You really have been put through hell haven't you?" Trish Stratus asked, her editor, staring back at the woman that refused to take her black shades off.
"Yes, I have." She quietly said, wearing black dress pants with a lavender top, raking a hand through her chestnut locks. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. I write to inspire people and give them hope that if they're in a bad situation, there are ways out."
"Definitely. Here's your check. I look forward to your next piece."
Nodding, Jasina walked out without another word, check in her purse.
~!~
"So does this mean I should give up chocolate?" Arielle asked after school, sitting in the garage on a tire, reading the article. Well, she had read it with help, she needed help understanding some of it.
"Hmmm I don't know." Mark seemed to be seriously considering it, selecting a wrench from his toolbox. "Do you think chocolate runs your life?"
"Only on Easter when Grandma and Grandpa gimme them big ol' Easter bunnies."
"I think you're fine then, kiddo."
~!~
"Sorry ma'am, you were double parked." The man said, sounding bored, checking to make sure Jasina's car wasn't going anywhere, heading back to the cab of his tow truck. "Calaway's shop on the west side serves as a temporary impound, you can pick it up there." He called over his shoulder.
"Oh my god..." Jasina whispered, not even realizing she'd been parked that way, and began to physically shake. She couldn't go there! She watched the man walk away, not a care in the world, and had to take a deep breath before she hyperventilated. 'I can do this.' She thought, coaching herself, breathing in through the nose and out of the mouth before calling a cab. Ten minutes later, it pulled up to the shop and Jasina threw some money at the driver before sliding out, her black shades on, and waited for it to drive away before taking another deep breath. 'Just walk in, get the car, and walk right back out.' She thought before walking inside, the bell dinging over her head.
Steve was in the back changing a tire so Mark was the lucky one who got to go see who had just walked in, he needed to get around to hiring a secretary. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he walked into the office, recognizing the woman from the grocery store. "Hello." He said, leaning in the doorway, offering her a smile, she was so damn nervous looking. "Can I help you, darlin'?"
Hesitantly, Jasina walked over and slid the ticket on the desk that the man had handed her. "I'm here to get my car, sir." She quietly said, inhaling the scent of the shop, and closed her eyes momentarily. It was a good thing she had invested in the sunglasses, even though the sun was starting to set on the horizon. She didn't care as she took a step away from the desk, trying like hell not to tremble.
Mark stared at the ticket, frowning. "Hold on." He poked his head into the garage. "Steve, we get any impounds today?"
"No, but Mike called a few minutes ago to say he'd be bringing one in after his break. Bout another thirty minutes, man. Why?"
Snorting, Mark returned to the woman. "It'll be another half hour, have a seat."
"Thank you." She whispered and walked over, sitting in the chair and crossed one leg over the other, wearing a black skirt with a flame embroidered tank top that went up the sides, the rest of it being black. Jasina raked a hand through her hair and looked around the shop, seeing all the pictures and felt the tears build in her eyes before finally just closing them. She would stay this way until she left, then she could be out of here and back in the safety of her apartment.
"Dad, Dad! I got an A on my spelling test!" Arielle screamed, running through the front door, waving around a paper with a bright A scrawled at the top.
Grinning, Mark took the paper, studying it. "You remembered together."
"To-get-her." She laughed, clapping her hands together, watching as he pinned the paper to the wall. She spotted the strange woman and ran over to her. "I got an A!" She announced proudly.
"That's wonderful." She softly replied, smiling at the little girl who had her hair and spirit.
What used to be Jasina anyway. Now she was just a mere hollow shell of the woman Mark met. She watched as Mark beamed proudly, glad to see he was a terrific father, she had no doubt he would be. He pinned it up on the wall, causing a big smile to cross Arielle's face, and it broke her heart even more as she lowered her head again.
"Dad, I'm hungry."
"Your snack is in the drawer, mind your manners." He said gently, slipping in the back when Steve called for him. "Stay inside, Arie!"
"I know!" Arielle dropped down behind the desk, pulling a brown sack from the drawer, pulling out a container of dried apple slices and cashews, grinning. "Want some, ma'am?" She offered.
She was so polite and sweet, Jasina needed her car so she could get out of here before she did something irrational. "No thank you, sweetheart." She quietly declined, pulling her hair over her shoulder, and put her head in her hands.
She couldn't believe this was happening. Hell, she knew Mark's shop was who everyone relied on with their cars. Jasina had been foolish enough to buy a hunk of junk when she first got in Houston again and was now paying for it. Five hundred bucks down the drain. Jasina took deep, calming breaths to slow her racing heart and kept her eyes closed, knowing nobody would notice since she had shades over them.
Arielle frowned, watching the woman and finally took her snack and walked over to sit beside her. "I'm Arielle. Though everyone calls me Arie." She said sweetly, holding out a slice of apple. "You sure? It's good, my dad and I dehydarated- No." She frowned, fumbling to pronounce the word right. "Dehyderated...How do you say it?"
"Dehydrated. You say it with an r sound. Not der." Jasina explained correctly, smiling when Arielle offered her the apple and reluctantly took it. 'God she looks so much like me.' She thought sadly, blinking tears away, and took a bite out of the apple slice. "Thank you." She kept her voice soft and quiet, wondering when her car was going to get here. A half hour didn't take THAT long to arrive did it?
"Thank you." Arielle said happily, saying the word over and over, finally nodding in satisfaction. "I can spell together." She said, grinning. "T-o-g-e-t-h-e-r."
Mark leaned in the doorway, clearing his throat, hating to break up his daughter's boasting, but there was business to attend too. "There was a delay with the tow truck; your car will be here in the morning." He said softly. "Do you need a ride somewhere?"
"My dad has an awesome truck." Arielle told her.
Jasina could feel her heart literally pounding in her ears as she quickly stood up. "N-No. No thank you. I-I'll be here in the morning. T-Thank you." She quickly walked out of the shop, tears in her eyes, her heart breaking. Her daughter was so smart, she was a speller just like her mother. 'I'm not her mother, I'm nothing to her.' She thought sadly, wrapping her arms around herself, feeling how chilly it had become. There was NO way she could get a ride from Mark, he would know where she lived then and that was unacceptable.
"Dad, go get her! She could get mugged! AND it's cold!"
Shaking his head, he stepped outside, jogging after the woman. "Hey wait up!" He sighed when she didn't stop, catching up quickly and gently took her arm. "Look, it'd make my lil girl feel a lot better if you'd take the ride, miss...?" Mark stared down at her, wondering why the hell the woman was wearing sunglasses at night. "Please?"
She was trembling now, physically, against him and felt him release her arm, taking a few steps back. Jasina couldn't let him know where she lived, she just couldn't! But she also didn't want to upset Arielle and ran a shaky hand through her chestnut locks.
"Jade." She whispered, knowing she had to lie because not a lot of women had the name Jasina. When his green eyes widened, Jasina swallowed hard and immediately began walking away from him again.
Once again, Mark stopped her, keeping a firm hold on her arm. "I'm sorry if I startled you or something. Jade's not a usual name, are you the person who writes them articles in the newspaper?" He asked gently, beginning to tug her back towards his shop. "C'mon darlin', it's not like I'm going to mug ya or something. I'm just offerin' a ride to wherever you need to get."
"No really that's..." She sighed when he gently pushed her back inside the shop and wrapped her arms around herself, knowing she had no choice. "And yes I am." She answered his other question, swallowing hard, her voice remaining barely above a whisper. She felt Arielle come over and actually took her hand, guiding her to the back toward where the truck was waiting, biting her bottom lip. "I could've walked..." She began quietly only for Mark to wave her off dismissively.
He was still stubborn as ever and the little girl wasn't taking no for an answer. What was she going to do? Maybe she could have them drop her off at a corner that was right by her apartment building. Yeah, she'd do that as she slipped in after Arielle, closing the door, her eyes staring out the window.
Arielle gabbed away, finally taking a break long enough to ask the woman's name, grinning. "Jade? That's real pretty, it's better than Arielle. Everyone says I'm named after Ariel from the Little Mermaid, but my name is spelled different. I still like that movie though, its my favorite. What do you like? You're really quiet."
"Maybe if you piped down she could get a word in edgewise."
"I-I don't really have much to say, sweetheart." She smiled sadly down at her, knowing she had to get home before she broke down.
She had named her daughter after her favorite Disney movie, though Arielle didn't know that. She could feel the tears burning and did everything in her power to keep them in, closing her eyes, and felt one slip down her cheek that was facing the window away from them, wiping it away, acting like she had something in her eye. It killed her, knowing this was the family she walked out on and it was all because of drugs. Jasina wished she were dead and contemplated suicide when she got home. Nobody would miss her. Hell, why would they? She'd left her husband high and dry to care for Arielle, the sweet little girl beside her, who looked like her except Mark's eyes. She was scum of the earth.
"Are you sure you want dropped off here?" Mark asked hesitantly, looking out at the corner she had requested he pull over at. "I don't mind takin'-" He sighed when she shook his head. "I don't know what time your car will be in, you can call and ask." He would have told her he'd call and let her know, but got the impression she wasn't keen on sharing any of that information, hence being dropped off here.
"Thank you for the ride." She whispered and slid out of the truck, knowing her apartment building was a block away from here.
That was good. Jasina seen how dark it was and shut the door before sliding her shades off, tucking them in her pocket, and took off running at full speed down the street. The tears flowed down her cheeks, not looking back, knowing if she did Mark would know who she was. She could never let him know, she'd made the decision that she was better off without having that precious angel in her life. Jasina deserved to be alone after all she'd done in life and nobody would change her mind of that.
They both watched her, the lights from the truck and the street lights giving them enough to see the building she slipped into.
"She don't seem very happy, does she, daddy?" Arielle mused.
Remembering the woman's newspaper articles, he idly wondered if she had beaten her addiction truly and shrugged. It was none of his business. "No lil darlin', she don't, not everyone is happy all the time."
"I am!"
