Wait here.” Austin left those words before he walked past behind.
His words were instant that Jasmine failed to snap in the direction he went.
She waited patiently with several foot stamps— signs of hastily exhausted for the long delay. Her entire night could be boring if she wouldn’t do such a thing.
She lifted her eyes and hovered her gazes from every corner of the city. She seemed to be standing in the peak of New York, the city that didn’t sleep. She had become so much interested in the city ever since she started reading New York Times books. She visioned this as a country of great opportunities where you could spend the rest of your life lying in the seam of indulgences. One of her desires was to go to this place. But, it was all deeply consigned to the grave for ages— before her life turns upside down, and presently she’s with a stranger whom she didn’t know. But, why was she following every instruction he’d told her? She didn’t know either.
“Shu, shu, you leave here, getaway!” A sneaky voice of a woman snapped her attention.
She’s throwing a sharp stare with harsh words towards the old beggar in front of the bakery she’s vending.
“You are a disgrace in my bakery. I’m getting low profit because of you. Now, leave,” she exclaimed.
She continued yelling nasty words to the old beggar whom she assumed did nothing, instead of sitting in front of the bakery, asking alms to every passerby.
Jasmine’s irritation was generated inside by the vendor’s mean and brute behavior. She’s the remorse of her own. She’s being prejudiced. Jasmine commented in her mind.
The old beggar did ignore her making her look more than a fool.
Jasmine pitied eyeing the old beggar’s situation. The old beggar had a gray crumpled short curly hair. At some angle, it gleamed by the stroke of the city lights. Though from afar, she could sense its dryness like she’d not been bathing for epochs. She’s wearing old clothes— loosen threads, holes, scratches, cuts, dullness of dyes, and crumples were displayed in her clothing indicating its ancientness, almost ragged. Her putrid smell never escaped in Jasmine’s nostrils. She felt a little bit wanting to puke when the smell of some rotten animals or leaves coming from her went into her nose.
But, her mercy prevailed higher than her nausea. She moved closer to the old beggar holding her breath, letting the bile stay inside.
“Are you okay?” She cleared her throat.
Deep inside, she wanted to puke. She could no longer hold her bile.
“Be–Eli–nda…”
The old beggar stuttered as her mouth scribbled those words. She met Jasmine’s eyes horrifically like she had seen a ghost. The innocent poor complexion of her turned into fear like she had seen a wrathful monster with gritted teeth. Her eyes widened as they met and averted Jasmine’s bewildered gazes. She could discern the tremble of her bony knees. Her mouth was shaking as both edges arced, wanting to say something but was overpowered with sudden anxiety.
“Who?” Jasmine asked scraped in bewilderment.
The old woman’s popping eyes glued looking fearfully on her. She could sense her fright. Her widened look, shivering knees, and shaking hands suggested her fright. But, why? She met those pair of widening black eyes in a chaotic gape. She tried finding answers to these, but she was left clueless. She could hear the old woman’s heavy whiffs.
The stillness of their position allowed the passing icy dawn breeze to waft around them. Her gray hair strands proms when the breeze flees within her place.
A quick movement was made. Not a second passed before she realized, she’d run swiftly into somewhere, shaded in panic.
“Hey, hey, hey,” Jasmine shouted towards the old woman running away from her.
She did not turn back. As loud as Jasmine called her, as quick as she ran.
“Oh-oh, never mind,” Jasmine spoke to herself while playing my fingers, eyes darted at the path the old woman entered.
“Now what?” She pouted her thin pinkish lips.
“Did you enjoy it?”
“Guys, we should go there again tomorrow night!”
“I told you, nothing would go wrong. Just trust me. I can handle everything.”
Jasmine was only looking at the ground playfully scaling my fingers with pouted lips when a couple of feminine voices voyaged to her ears. I
She elevated her chin in search of the origin of the voices.
“That is completely awesome!”
“Eh? Words expected from a first-timer.”
“Don’t be a bully Jes.”
“What do you expect me to react to? HAHA!”
“You both stop.””
“We aren’t fighting, lah.”
The voices were some sort of arguing but laughing. They were mocking each other, perhaps. She marveled her eyes on them, sighting them by the corner of her eyes, curious but cautious, for she thought that once they’ll be caught that a stranger was steeply looking at them, they may find it weird and creepy.
“Come on guys! Say cheese!”
The girl clicked the camera taking a groupie. They all displayed a bright sheepish wide smile in a flash of the camera.
Jasmine assumed they were her age— normal teenagers or should she say in early late adolescence— a stage of life which a person knew nothing but to sneak for leisure. Maybe, it’s what they did.
Jasmine might be ignorant, but she knew she was of intellect. By the way, they dressed up, composure, and behavior, it’s reasonable to deduce that they’ve been to something or somewhere fun but ridiculous. She’d read lots of books in an expansive variety of genres as well as movies, shoot in different places, times, and eras. Knowledge existed in books and movies. Just be the worm and play your role.
The colorful spectrum of lights from the Chinese food court thumped toward them. Those were lanterns of blue, yellow, orange, and red lights. Every flicker and striking it made glistened the contours and hues of their outfits. They were wearing casual outfits. The five girls were wearing denim shorts with rips paired with crop tops. They were all in uniform. Nice, she thought swiveling a semi-comical smile.
“I’m already exhausted. I want to go home.”
The girl with short hair dumped her body beside the street.
“Geez… Krys, get up there. You’re making a scene. You’re so embarrassing,” one of the circles yelled. Jasmine couldn’t figure out who was among them.
“Shut up Jessica. I just want to sleep. Who cares?” She blabbered laying her head on the boulevard but stopped. She puked on the ground, not only once— twice— but thrice.
“Eww,” her friends exclaimed.
She put her gaze away from the scene feeling grossed and sick. They were all drunk. It wasn’t a question from the way they acted.
She moved her eyes to somewhere else interesting. There was a motel a few meters away from the Chinese food court. She raised her eyes spotting a bar— or a nightclub, guessing the place where those groups of teens went. She found none.
She started stroking her feet, forgetting the thought of staying in the place. She specked on the food stalls— barbeques, bananaques, kwek kwek, fishballs, tempuras, siopao, siomai, taho, ballot, etc were retailed. The steam of the barbeque steak made her stomach growl; she felt hungry.
Jasminecoveredd her eyes to every corner of the city, she spotted him— the stranger driver guy. He was standing in front of someone. They were talking about something. The long-distance between her and him hurdled Jasmine to snap their gestures, or to what they were talking about. They were discussing something, as what could be conveyed by the hand motions included in their communication wedded by their exchanging serious looks. She kept her eyes on them. She could see the bags beside him, laid on the floor. She examined the place. ANDOY’S BARBERSHOP. She guessed the person he was talking to was the barber— Andoy. He was a fat man with bald hair. He’s wearing white sleeveless and cotton shorts. She wondered what they were chatting about. What took them so long?
She impatiently sat in the place she once stood in. Knees were bent while hands were crossed on top of knees in hesitation. She was getting a little bit drowsy.
Minutes passed. She closed her eyes, then opened. She sighed. She was getting sleepy.
“So you’re here,” a familiar baritone voice woke her.
AY,” she was shocked.
She saw him plastered a smile for the first time. His deep sunken dark brown eyes squinted. He’s cute. Or maybe she was just sleepy. She thought
She again almost closed her eyes and lose her balance when I felt a tight grip on her right arm.
“I’m sorry to do this.”
She got alerted hearing his words. Her eyes were wide awake, but her body stiffened. She froze. She felt numbed. She felt she was inside a bizarre nightmare wherein she was running away from a furious fiend, but she couldn’t keep her knees moving— she was immobilized. Something was stopping her joints from making a move.
“Ahh…”
Too late before she felt something sharp, needled on my right arm.