So it took me awhile to update right? This chapter was really hard for me to write.
Thanks to all the loyal readers who's still visiting my story. And don't skip. This is a very important chapter.
Christmas descends on Washington DC.
Jazmine can't really explain it, but spending the holidays in Woodcrest is much different to spending the holidays in DC. She's spent 4 years in the nation's capital but she would always visit Woodcrest for the holidays. However, this year will be different—she'll be spending Christmas in her apartment for the very first time.
It's another milestone that people expect when they move out of their parents. To spend a day like Christmas without them.
And celebrating the holidays in a big city is just a different feeling, it just seems more 'corporate', more 'pandering' in a way. Jazmine finally understands what Huey has been talking about. There's no "Christmas spirit". There's never peace in a big city, there's no serenity or any semblance of contentment in the air. Even in a special day like this, it's simply just business as usual.
Maybe Huey's beliefs are just rubbing off on her. It's the same case for him because Huey was starting to smell more like strawberries. Or maybe she's just sad that she and her family unit are just drifting further and further away. Time just seems to fly by at this point, 4 years ago, she was still this teenage girl with non-divorced parents who spent Christmas together as a family.
But now her dad is spending the holidays on some Costa Rican vacation. Tom had a weird look on his face when he told her he was gonna "do it big—like the rappers" and take a page from 'Mr. Bitchez playbook'. Evidently, it was the first time Jazmine had ever heard her daddy swear in front of her, or use a curse word in their conversations.
Her mom, on the other hand, is flying off to New York to attend some sort of special music event. Sarah told her on the phone about going ice skating and going to a concert with a couple of her lawyer friends. While Jazmine would've loved to accompany her mom on a New York, partly because she gets too reckless when partying, Jazmine however, is preoccupied with her own plans.
Huey is coming home for Christmas!
December 25. It's his only holiday for the entire year. He never takes a day off, he held a protest on his birthday, he led a worker's strike on Halloween, and he did an interview on CNN on Thanksgiving.
But Christmas? That's the most special day in the world according to Jazmine. And by the goodness of Santa, God, and all that is good in the world, she's not gonna let Huey Freeman skip Christmas.
She even has her ring in her pocket. She's not planning to propose, the moment has to be special. There needs to be fireworks and a band playing in the background. But she has her ring in close proximity. Just in case.
It's the morning of Christmas. She stares at the window for hours. She has her seat pointed to the window and she just stares at snow accumalating on the road.
Tick Tock Tick Tock. Her clock is reminding her constantly with the passage of time. It's December 25 but Christmas hasn't yet begun. She can't start the holidays without him.
"Huey? Huey Freeman? Where are youuuuu..." She sings a tune to herself.
"Where are youuu Freeman... you can't hide from meeeee..." She has gone insane at this point.
Suddenly a taxi pops into view. It looks really dramatic in a way. The snow is pouring down on Christmas day, the roads are completely empty except for one lone taxi. A man gets out, in a pitch black suit and a suitcase in hand. He is in full display, his hair is kept neat and tidy. Everything about him, from his demeanor, to his look is all organized and orderly.
Jazmine hovers over her window like a moth to a flame. From afar, the man looks at her window and from a good distance away they make eye contact.
Even after all these years, he still finds a way to make her melt and if there wasn't glass in the way, she would've fell down the window.
She anticipates the knock on the door. The fire of a passionate love reignited. It's a flame within her heart that was dormant but now rekindled. She knows that their relationship is special because spending an eternity without him has been nothing less but torture.
This must be what true love feels like. Every encounter with him is like love in first sight. Every moment with him just feels so right. Even after all this time apart, they still hold that 'spark', she still looks at him like a highschool crush and she would blush at every stolen glance.
Many can't claim that they've fallen in love with their best friend. Many more can't claim that they've fallen in love with their crush. Most of the time, a boyfriend is different to a crush. A crush is someone you recklessly adore and a boyfriend is someone who is good company, someone who pairs well with you like cheese and wine.
But Jazmine is dating her crush. She's dating her childhood sweetheart. The girl next door is with the black kid from Timid Deer Lane, It may be a cheesy love story like one of the sitcoms she's been watching but she feels absolutely blessed that she's with Huey Freeman. The way she's anticipating him, picturing him in the suit as he walks up the stairs to their apartment door. The way she's adjusting her hair and straigthening her posture to look presentable for him. It's dramatic, romantic, and enigmatic—but she absolutely adores him.
Maybe her life is perfect. Just like how Jillian said a few weeks ago. But the bizarreness of her friend group and the drama don't matter to her anymore. For a day she can hide away from the drama and the whole fever dream of her friend group. In her mind, she would shamelessly ditch everyone in DC if it meant she could travel on the road with Huey and be his secretary for his political cause.
Huey opens the door with his own duplicate key. He spots a young woman sitting by the window, she's wearing one of the ugliest Christmas sweaters he has ever seen.
"Hi..." Jazmine shyly whimpers.
He closes the door behind him and without a word, Huey slowly walks towards her. Not much has changed in their apartment. He can tell that all of his things are kept in its place, his posters of civil rights figures are untouched and it seems like his bookcase is dusted regularly. He's somewhat pleased that she has been taking good care of their home during his absence.
He walks up to the girl. His figure looms over her. This is the girl who nursed him back to health. After Riley's run-in with a crime ring, Huey was malnourished and fatigued to the brink of death. After all his adrenaline had died down, he had collpased on the ground and Jazmine desperately called for an ambulance.
He had no parents, no relatives, and a brother who was as equally in bad shape as him. When the nurse asked for his emergency contact, he weakly pointed at the girl who was signing papers.
She was the girl who took care of him that day and the many weeks that followed. She was the girl who spoonfed him oatmeal for 7 straight days because he did not trust the hospital food.
She was the girl who made sure that all of his captors were arrested. By turning in all of White Shadow's evidence to the police, she made sure that the proper authorities were tipped off to crackdown on the syndicate's activites.
And she was the girl who held up a book to his eyes when both of his arms were broken. He was unable to turn the pages of his law book so she would sit next to him while she turned the next pages as he tried to resume his studies in a hospital bed.
Huey finally closes the distance between them and he places his hand on her cheek. He gently cups it with the rugged and rough texture of his skin. The familiar sensation of smooth against rough, a testament to how they are complete opposites.
She stumbles on her words. "H-how are you?"
He asks. "Are you crying?"
"Yeah..."
"I umm..." Now it's Huey's turn to stumble words. "-I missed you."
"Sweetie... baby... I- I- Huey..."
He places a gentle kiss on her lips. It's been so long since she endulged herself with him. There's no sexual desire, no shame, no hesitation. It's a kiss of pure affection. It is chaste, infallible, and she can't help but smile into the kiss. There is the tender warmth of his hand on her cheek and her air is filled with Huey's familiar scent of burnt ash and pine.
Without her noticing, she realizes she is at edge of her seat, leaning ever so gently into the kiss. It was so hard being so far apart. And It's going to be harder when he has to go back to work but they have to spend what little time they have together.
They made it work. They had video chats and calls. She would cheer on the TV and he would double check her assignments. Even if he is thousands of miles away, they are still a team. And while their relationship was tested from time to time, their bond grew stronger after each distance-related obstacle.
Eventually Huey pulls away. His hand still cupping her cheek. She smiles as they make eye contact.
He sighs and breaks the silence. "I'm tired Jazmine. I barely slept on the plane ride..."
She stands up and walks behind him. She lovingly unbottons his suit jacket and takes it off with great care.
"We can do whatever you want." She responds from behind.
"I want to lay down and rest."
She whispers. "Okay."
A short while later, he is laying down the couch with Jazmine on top of him and her head resting on his chest. She has so many stories she wants to tell him, she has so many things she wants to unbottle and talk about. But they lay there in silence, in peace. She understands he needs his rest and her endless ranting can wait.
If only they had their own house and a brick fireplace, it would've been the perfect Christmas morning if they had a fireplace right now.
He runs his hand through her hair. Stroking her like a cat. Jazmine either squeaks or purrs in response.
He asks. "Did you miss me?"
"I miss you. So. So much." She giggles. "You're so cheesy."
He makes a light scoff in response.
Now it's her turn to solicit a kiss, she raises her head from it's resting place and their foreheads touch. She whispers to him. "Did you bring me a gift? It's Christmas."
"I'm here. That's your gift."
She giggles. "Jerk."
He whispers to her face. Their noses are lightly touching each other. "Christmas is just a made-up capitalist holiday to boost up sales."
"You never change..." She closes the barely remaning distance and kisses him. She shamelessly bites his lower lip and inhales another sniff of his scent. She wanted to tease him just a little bit more, as punishment for not bringing a gift but once her face got dangerously close to his lips, she just couldn't resist.
They chat up a storm. Relaying months worth of information about their daily lives. Everytime they interrupt each other prompts a girly giggle and a tired smirk, it's a familiar pasttime that she never knew she had been missing. Just him and her on the couch talking about their day in person, no distance apart, no laggy internet or voice chat delay.
Huey speaks "I was-
She interrupts "Well uh-
"Jaz-
"So ther-" She laughs. "You go first."
"No it's okay you go first."
They talk about the Freeman Foundation. And how they branched off to different states. How it was such a painstaking process to finally gain status as a registered charity. They talk about the various trials of his work and the painstaking hours of his job.
"It's been tough getting a new assistant when he barely knows what they're doing..." Huey grumbles.
"What happened to your old secretary? His name was Mike right?"
"I fired him."
"What? ...Why?"
"He was incompetent."
Jazmine whines. "Huey... He seemed nice."
Huey won't admit it but Jazmine's secretary rule is really giving him a hard time. He thinks it's absolutely ridiculous but as always, he's forced to accept one of her many demands. Every potential applicant who wants to get the job needs to be approved by Jazmine. Huey would read out their application to Jazmine by video call and she would give the final verdict in the decision-making process.
50% of all applications are immediately rejected. Huey is nervous that he's gonna be accused of sexism because Jazmine would instantly reject any female secretaries. She's protective of him, if he's gonna be travelling the country and a thousand miles away from each other, then he's not allowed to get a female secretary. This is one of the many compromises that they've agreed to after one of their dreaded video call arguments.
Jazmine rests her head on his chest again. She can hear his heartbeat and his deep-winded breaths as he takes a sniff of her hair. She misses this calm, almost primitive way of affection. Just the simple act of grooming each other's hair and getting reaccustomed to each other's internal rhythm. He switches from massaging her back or brushing her hair with his hand all the while exchanging each other's scent.
It has been half an hour since he's come home. But to her, it felt like mere minutes.
She whispers. "Dr. Freeman."
"Not funny."
She teases. "Doctor. Freeman."
After completing his PhD Huey earned the legal title of Dr. in his name. It's not uncommon for his line of work to have a PhD. Many of the civil rights figures before him were highly educated people. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had the same PhD as him and Huey P. Newton had a PhD in social philosophy. And if the American people looked for Huey's credentials, they can clearly see that Huey Freeman is an educated man.
He was the best student that the University of Maryland had in over a century. He completed a PhD in just 3 years.
While the odds of a student like him are one in a million, it was not impossible. People may have heard of stories about 12-year old prodigies attending university classes, there are stories about gifted individuals who are way too advanced than their peers.
Huey just happens to be one of those people, he completed his bachelors degree in 2 years, in what should have taken him 4. He completed his PhD dissertation in under a year, in what should have taken him 3.
Jazmine was beyond proud of course. She paraded him like a trophy. Letting every friend and stranger know that her boyfriend is a doctor. A legitimate bonafide doctor in Law!
"I hate it. Don't call me doctor. It's just a stupid title."
She smiles. "But you earned it."
He scowls. "Doesn't mean anything."
"Sorry... I'm just really proud... still."
They're still laying down the couch, they've been here for 2 hours at this point. Sometime within that timeframe they have switched positions. Now Jazmine lays beside him as he spoons her body towards him.
"Adrian keeps asking me out on a date..."
"The new guy you said I shouldn't worry about?"
"Don't be silly. I'll never go on a date with him of course."
"If I had time. I would tell him to stop hitting on my girlfriend and..." Huey grumbles.
Jazmine looks up to him. "And?"
"Teach him a lesson." He says menacingly.
"Oh Huey... please don't."
Obviously, Huey is a little hesitant to leave Jazmine by herself. He's done all he could to prepare her, he taught her every self-defense technique he knows and showed her basic car maintenance to do on her own. He was even grateful that Caesar was coming to study in her university, that way she would be in somewhat familiar company.
Of course he's defensive when other men try to hook up with her. That's just one of the biggest issues of long-distance relationships. The fact that he can't defend her from creeps and potential suitors takes up the majority of his thoughts during some days—no matter how much he trusts her and how sure he is that she'll stay faithful, it still leaves a bitter taste in his mouth and a boiling anger in his chest.
Jazmine speaks up. "I tell him no, every single time..."
He scowls. Jazmine tries to smile brighter and tries to hug him tighter but she just can't get rid of that looming scowl.
She whines. "Oh come on... Please don't start a fight with him..."
He states angrily. "I'm just defensive of you. You know that. And I'm not gonna let him disrespect our relationship just because he has one or two things in common with you."
"But- are you gonna do anything?"
"No. I'm not gonna fight him... But I'm mad- And I'm fucking tired..."
She scolds him. "Don't swear Huey."
"Sorry."
Jazmine searches for his deep maroon eyes. "I'm not gonna let him 'disrespect our relationship' as well. When I see Adrian again, I'm gonna tell him to stop okay?"
They resolve the issue. He affirms. "Alright then."
"...Do you want to take a nap?"
"I don't need to."
"Huey. I can see the bags under your eyes... when was the last time you've gotten sleep?"
"During the plane ride..."
"I meant. On a bed. When's the last time you've slept in a hotel?"
He spoons her closer to him and pats her head lightly. He really missed being with her. Despite all her flaws and a personality that's downright incompatible with him, he values the moments when she's just trying to keep him in check. She keeps him grounded to normalcy and sanity.
He braces her for his answer. "A week ago."
She nags. "Huey Freeman!"
"I hate hotels Jazmine. Especially the rich, fancy ones... I can't stand it."
"You need to sleep. Now!"
Suddenly his business phone starts ringing. Jazmine is cuddling him so closely that she can feel it vibrate as well. She lets go and allows him to check it.
Huey looks at his phone. Even on Christmas Day, he still manages to get some sort of work-related call. He scoffs when he looks at the number.
"Who is it?" Jazmine asks.
"Unimportant."
He lets the phone ring until voicemail. For a moment, he is slightly relieved and goes back to spending time with his girlfriend. But before another moment could pass, the caller then leaves him a text message instead. It notified them with a resounding ding sound.
She requests. "Let me read it."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure. Now please?"
Huey hands her his phone.
Jazmine frowns. "Another death threat?"
"Another one."
Jazmine is no longer surprised when Huey receives a death threat. But it baffles her that someone took the time to write a death threat on Christmas when they should be spending time with their family.
Ever since Huey entered the public eye, Huey has been making a lot of enemies. Some of them are CEOs, politicians, and an assortment of ideological opponents. He's not one to steer away from the truth or sweet talk people about the facts, he just tends to reveal secrets and corruption as soon as he learns of it.
That kind of approach makes him very unpopular among the upper class. Enough to warrant threats and 'interventions'.
Interventions as in, his car tires getting slashed, or his offices being wire-tapped. Huey hasn't gotten a full-blown assasination attempt yet but he fully knows that the best civil rights activists usually die under such situations. Althought it hurts, he wants Jazmine to keep her distance from him in order to keep her safe.
As for him, it's not like he's getting an assasination attempt for the first time either. He's trained and learned how to defend himself from such things. And he uses a portion of his budget on a small security team during big high-risk events.
Huey sighs. "Please don't read my death threats."
"It's important Huey. These people want to kill you!"
"It's just gonna make you worry."
She shakes her head. "It's my job to worry for you."
"I'm..." He gives up. "I'm just gonna go to sleep..."
"Okay." She smiles with concern.
It's only 1 o'clock in the afternoon. But if he's gonna sleep the whole day of Christmas away then so be it. She doesn't really care about celebrating, she doesn't even care that he didn't bring a gift. She's just happy that he's here and not out there, sleeping in who knows where and rich people plotting to kill him.
She's just happy that he's by her side again.
Jazmine leads him by the hand to their bedroom. Huey is visibly exhausted. The toll of his career can be seen by the tired look on his eyes and it almost broke her heart seeing him walk so tiredly towards their bed.
He misses their bedroom. Huey looks around to see his things in their rightful place, as if he had barely left at all.
She ushers him to his side of the bed. "Huey... put on some pajamas or something. It's a lot more comfy."
He eyes his business-like outfit. Which has been his usual attire for the past year. "I'm fine as it is."
"Can I... sleep next to you?"
He raises an eyebrow. "What kind of question is that? It's our bed."
"Erm... right!" She blushes. "I just thought you'd prefer some privacy..."
"Don't be ridiculous. You can do whatever you want."
She jumps into the bed and pulls the blanket under both of them. It just feels so right. It doesn't matter if they're gonna sleep in the middle of the afternoon. She doesn't mind one bit.
She blushes again. It's been so long since they've shared a bed. It almost feels like they're sharing a bed for the first time again. She whispers. "You can hug me as a pillow. If you want."
He begrudgingly accepts. "Fine..."
It prompts a soft giggle from her that he angrily ignores. He hates that she has to be so romantic all the time. Admittedly, he would appreciate some peace and quiet. He would prefer to be left alone and sleep in bed all by himself. It's not like Jazmine is tired and needs to get a midday nap as well, the reason she wants to join in is because she just wants to desperately cling on him all the time.
But she's right. He does want privacy, however he's not gonna refuse her company. If she wants to sleep and jump in the bed next to him, then Huey won't stop her. No matter how much he wants to be left alone, he's not gonna push her away. He made that mistake during Granddad's death, and he's never gonna make that mistake again.
She makes a hum of contentment as Huey pulls her under the sheets and spoons her again once more. With the difference in height and body mass, her body fits into his arms like a glove. Like she's some sort of gold treasure that he needs to protect.
"How long do you want to sleep?" She whispers.
"I don't know... just for a couple hours."
"I'll wake you up at 6pm okay sweetie?"
"Sounds good... sweetie." He replies.
"Love you Huey... I mean- Doctor Huey." She giggles under the bedsheets.
He scoffs. "Shut up."
Moments later, he falls asleep in her arms. He must have been really tired. She tries to clear her mind from dirty thoughts but she can't help it when they're in bed together.
Jazmine has one rule during Christmas; they can't do anything indecent on Jesus' birthday. But to really address the elephant in the room, she missed being touched by him. Despite her rule, it has been too long.
While she wouldn't insinuate sexual advances, she wouldn't refuse Huey if he tries anything. She missed having his rough and course hands run through her body and have those piercing maroon eyes stare her down like she's prey.
But with him already drifting to sleep, she can't help but feel a plethora of emotions. He's exhausted from his work, he's out there making a change in the world, and he's out there making a career out of helping others. He's only visiting her for a single day and yet he's choosing not to use her like a sexual object. He's choosing to follow her rule despite not having sex with her for over 4 months now. He simply wanted to cuddle for an hour and get a good sleep on their bed.
"Oh Huey..."
In truth, she's not even sleepy. She just wants to cling on him and he knows it. She just resents to draws imaginary circles with her finger and she tries to sync his breathing his own.
Huey told her of a method that soldiers do. A method using self-hypnotism to immediately fall asleep in under a minute. Soldiers use it during active warzones so that they can force themselves to sleep under artillery fire or during the hectic background of war. He must be using the same trick to fall asleep so easily.
Sometimes she thinks that he knows too much for his own good. If he wasn't so knowledgeable of the world, he probably would've just been a lawyer and live a more conventional life with her. She wouldn't mind spending their lives in a suburban neighborhood and a house with a white-picket fence.
And yet it would be wrong if she told him to stop. Sometimes, she has the urge to tell him, she wants to say that he should retire. Sometimes, she wants to just limit himself to fixing one state so he doesn't have to travel all the time. But he intends to make speeches and protest all over the country.
Huey has grown and he's not this domestic terrorist revolutionary that he once was. He was exclusively supportive of black lives and the whole concept of righting the wrongs done to 'their people'—to black people, to the former slaves, and the prejudiced minority of America.
But now he's more matured in his ideological beliefs. He doesn't just want to help black people, he wants to help every wronged people in America. From the immigrant to the criminal, the misfortuned to the uneducated. He intends to help anyone who was wronged by the elitist and capitalist ruling class of America. And he also wants to solve the poverty crisis, the climate change crisis, and the economic decline. Every crisis, corruption, and tyranny he would say.
In his own words, he is a social democratic revolutionary. A classical Marxist, a left-wing populist, and anarchist figurehead. He has discouraged any form of violence in his movements but he emphasises on self-defence among his listeners. And he is credited to jumpstarting a 2nd renaissance of civil rights movements across the country.
Jazmine manages to pry away from his hug. With gradual movements, she gets out of the bed without making much noise. She's thankful that Huey is sleeping like a rock today.
She childishly whispers. "Don't let the bed bugs bite..." And she pats his head lightly. Huey looks so harmless and cute when he sleeps—it's such a contrast to that scowling soul-frightening look he would usually display during his speeches.
Jazmine puts on her kitchen apron and starts preparing for dinner. She admits that she doesn't have a gift for him too, but she was planning to give him a Christmas dinner and a movie night instead. That was the schedule she planned for Huey's visit.
11:00 - huey comes home
11:00 to 1:00 - Cuddle & talk for 2 hours
1:00 to 4:00 - ice skating Christmas date!
4:00 to 6:00 - I make dinner & we eat.
6:00 to 9:00 - cuddle & watch a Christmas movie
9:00 - Bedtime :)
She can check off 11:00 to 1:00. But after cuddling and talking for 2 hours, Huey immediately went for a nap. If he wasn't so tired, she was gonna bring him to a skating rink. It would've been fun and romantic considering there weren't a lot of people on the holidays. They probably would have had the entire skating rink to themselves.
But she's just gonna have to make a comprimise. That's what being in a relationship is for right? She's just gonna make the best Christmas dinner. A feast fit for a strict vegan such as himself. He's gonna be like 'Wow Jazmine your cooking is great... I love you so much' and she'll blush and ask for a kiss as a reward. It's the perfect plan really, completely foolproof.
She's even going to decorate. She has a bunch of rose petals she bought at the florist for cheap. She plans to be cliche and setup a romantic dinner. Complete with candles and everything. She got organic grape juice that she'll put in wine glasses and maybe she'll even dress up with something nice.
She's not trying to win his heart or anything. She just wants to do these things because it's fun. He can groan and complain all he wants about rose petals making a mess and how she doesn't need to use makeup around him. But she simply wants to let loose and have a romantic dinner date for the fun of it.
Huey slept for 5 hours. He wakes up at about 6:00 at night. Jazmine had weaseled herself back to bed after doing her chores. As Huey wakes up, he sees the girl stare into him, observing him like a hawk while he rose from his sleep.
"Good evening!" She smiles.
Huey rubs his eyes. "I... need to go Jazmine."
"Wh- what?"
"I have work to do."
Huey stands up, retrieving his things and putting on his necktie. Jazmine is still laying in bed, wearing one of her bright skirts and her hair done. He really wishes that he can stay with her, he just wants to hold the girl and sleep for a week. However he has a job to do.
Huey admits. "I have a meeting with Hiro Otomo... tonight."
"Hiro? He's in DC for Christmas..." Jazmine recalls Miho's brother, she's a little surprised that Huey has something to do with him.
Huey looks visibly angry. "How do you know Hiro Otomo? Jazmine... how the hell do you know him?"
"I- I-"
He asks menacingly. "Have you been seeing him? How do you know he's in Maryland?"
"No! Of course not! One of my friends know him!"
Huey clenches his teeth and Jazmine's eyes look in fear.
She quakes. "My friend said her brother Hiro is home for Christmas! I swear!"
"Fine, I don't have time for this..." He scoffs. For a moment, Jazmine's heart sank. Huey was suspecting that she would cheat on him. She would never do such thing.
"Huey..."
"I have to go."
She stays on their bed stunned. He comes home after a months long absence and he's going to leave so soon. She's prepared the perfect Christmas to spend together and yet they barely spent time together.
Is it too needy to have a single day with her boyfriend? He slept through the entire day but their home is not a truck driver's rest stop! She's not some sort of glorified pillow!
"That's it? You're just going use me? I'm not a bed and breakfast Huey! Don't be silly... don't go!"
He walks up and squeezes her hand. "Don't argue about this..."
"Stay! You can rescheudule your meetings or whatever! Just stay!"
"I have to catch the plane at midnight..."
"You had a plane booked?! You said you were going to stay for the entire holiday! You're going to leave tonight?!"
"I have a busy schedule Jazmine... after the meeting I have to go to the border, there's a fucking refugee crisis on the Mexican border... I need to help them."
"What the heck Huey? Are those just excuses?! A meeting and a border crisis?! Can't you spend time with your girlfriend?! I miss you!"
He finds his suit jacket neatly folded on his bedside table. As he puts it on and takes a glance at Jazmine again, it almost looked like they were going on a date. Him in a suit and her in a long skirt and stylish top. He can even spot her wearing fancy earrings through the dim light of their bed lamp.
She whispers, almost too soft to hear. "Let me love you... please stay."
He shakes any sort of emotion in his head. His meeting with Hiro is about reducing the amount of electronic waste in landfills. After that, he needs to coordinate humanitarian efforts on the border, he left out the detail that a huge cartel war is bringing more refugees to the border and it's going to be utter chaos without him.
He gives her a kiss goodbye. One that said he'll miss her.
Huey lets go of her hand, leaving a stunned and sobbing Jazmine. He hates it when he makes her cry. When they were little kids, she would always cry whenever he told the truth with brutal honesty. And now the brutal truth is that he has to go.
As Huey opens the door to leave the bedroom. He's greeted with the sight of a romantic dinner. There's several cooked dishes on their table and a huge candlepiece in the center. It reminded him of when Granddad had a date come over and would spend the whole day to prepare everything for his date night.
He turns around to see a scowling Jazmine. Her arms are crossed and tears still flowing down her cheek.
"I- it's my Christmas gift... I know you hate presents so I set up a dinner date instead..."
In truth, Huey didn't have a gift for her. He was too busy to buy something meaningful. With what little freetime he got, he didn't find any gift that was of interest to Jazmine. It was already a struggle to find a gift before without any time constraints and it's a struggle for him now considering his barely non-existent freetime.
She asserts. "Let's just eat dinner. Then you can pack some leftovers for the road."
"Jazmine. For the last time... I have to go."
She tries to maintain her composure, she's trying not to cry. Huey hates it whenever she cries, he always tells her that she should be strong-willed and in control of her emotions. Yet, she's crying—she's crying because no matter what she does, Huey is going to leave again.
When will he get the time to visit again? How many more months of torture is she going to endure before he comes back?
"I-I did this all for you..." She stutters through her sobbing. "L-look... I made veggie burgers... aren't they your favorite?"
He sighs. "They are." Huey glances at the romantic dinner for two. Urging him, pulling him to serenity. It's just a simple date. A simple request from his girlfriend.
She steps out of the bedroom and takes a step towards him. Jazmine desperately begs. "Then please..."
"They need me Jazmine... I need to help people. You need to understand."
Her tears continue to flow down the river. "A wise man once said... 'if I tried saving everybody t-then I'll just end up saving nobody...' d-do you know who said that?"
"Jazmine... I don't have time for this."
She raises her voice. "You said that Huey! When you were 10! When will you realize that you need to save me from this boring stupid long-distance thing?! You're gonna keep saving every random stranger like you're some sort of Superman while I'm stuck being a prisoner in our own home?! Don't I matter to you Huey?! If you're not gonna stay then let me help you! Let's go to the meeting and catch that plane together! PLEASE!"
He scowls angrily, this time with pure intent. They've discussed this countless times before, he can't bring her to his career. He'll just endanger her, every week he is in danger of getting hurt because of some demented rich man's attempt to get rid of him. It is better for her to stay in this apartment where he can safely keep her from harm's way while he does his work. How many damn times does he have to explain it to her?
Huey turns away and starts heading for the door. "I'm going to leave before I say anything that I'll regret."
Jazmine takes another step forward, this time stomping her foot on the ground. "Maybe I will go on that date with Adrian! I bet you can't find the time to stop me!"
Huey doesn't bother to respond. Rather, he stays silent and puts on his shoes.
"Did you know?! I found out that Caesar has feelings for me! He's always been there when you weren't!"
Huey pauses for a brief second. He couldn't just ignore what Jazmine said. But just like the dinner date, he's going to ignore the temptation.
He's going to ignore the temptation that's begging for him to stay. It feels like daggers shoving into his head because deep down all he wants to do is hold her tight and tell her that he'll never leave her side.
He almost wants to pray to God to just fix every bad thing happening in the world so that he doesn't have to leave and fix the world's problems by himself. But if God is his witness, then God knows that if he plans to have a child with Jazmine, he can't bear to raise their child in such a cruel and miserable world. He has to make the world a better place while he's young so that their child wouldn't have to live in a demented and cruel future.
Just like any temptation. He refuses it. Ever since in a young age, he has trained himself to have a strong will. And he'll just have to endure the pain of leaving and the distance.
It all happened so fast. One moment, she was in bed and waiting patiently for him to wake up. Now she's standing behind him with tears in her eyes, watching him head out the door with a deathly gaze on his face.
Jazmine immediately regrets what she said. "I-I I'm sorry! I- I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said that! Huey.. I-
He says blankly and soullessly. "Goodbye Jazmine."
Huey slams the door behind him. What was once the sound of loud yelling and desparate pleas for him to stay are now replaced by a deafening silence.
A small whimper here. A sniffle there. She sits down on a dining chair and puts her hands to her face. She finally realizes how much her makeup got ruined as it left colored spots on her hands.
Jazmine is a complete mess. She feels like a monster for saying those things to him. She can't believe she just threatened to go out with other guys. She can't believe that she just ended her Christmas by fighting Huey instead of just being a supportive girlfriend and kissing him goodbye.
She has a feeling that Huey's not going to call her for a few days... if she hadn't yelled at him, Huey probably would've rescheduled something and visit her some other time. Huey would've done something to make it up to her...
But now, after their fight. He's not going to visit her anytime soon. She just gambled her happiness away and now she's left alone to pay the price.
Alone
She sits there on that chair, the candle is still alight and the dinner she cooked for both of them is getting cold. She just wanted him to spend a single dinner with her. She just wanted to be like a family with him—she wanted to have a Christmas dinner because it's what she and her parents do always do on the holidays. She's not being needy or demanding too much from him. Jazmine just wants to have a single night with her love.
But now with her parents off vacation and Huey leaving. She's sitting there all by herself. She's never spent Christmas all by herself, it leaves a chilling feeling on her skin. Despite a candle right beside her, she feels so cold and she feels like she just wants to crawl up to her bed and cry.
Is this what her life has come to? Sentenced to years of solitary. When will Huey decide that enough is enough? How many problems does he have to solve before he chooses to stop and come home to her? She had a wedding ring ready, if she found the perfect moment during the dinner date she would've asked him to marry her.
But now she sits here alone. It's going to be another sleepless night again. A night where she'll sleep by herself. There's nothing she can do anymore. No amount of tears can beg him to stay.
Yeah oh no. What a complicated story arc. He has to be a revolutionary and she just wants him to stay.
I have been waiting to start this story arc for a long time because I feel like an adult Huey would aspire to be a modern civil rights figure, like a 21st century MLK. But considering he is dating someone like Jazmine, he is torn between wanting to make the world a better place or being with his girlfriend.
So yeah... the drama is finally picking up. Hopefully the 8 or 9 people still in the Boondocks Fandom will enjoy this chapter lol.