.
Dolores looked at Boyce and asked, âAre they fighting?â.
Boyce was surprised that Dolores would say something like that, and replied, âNo?â.
Dolores didnât seem to believe what Boyce was saying, but didnât ask any more questions. Boyce was no longer a boy, but Jasmine was also much younger than he was. Sometimes a girl could have more delicate thoughts. Dolores told Boyce, âYou know Jasmineâs situation best, you have to love her and protect her, make her feel like she has a family. Donât make her feel abandoned.â
Boyce smiled and nodded his head.
In his own way, he was kind to Jasmine. He was supportive of her studies. When she said she wanted to stay at the dorm because she was busy with her studies, he didnât stop her or say anything, even though he wanted to spend more time with her when she returned.
He even drove her there.
But Boyce thought about it and felt that Jasmine was really different from before. Before she was full of zeal and liked to be near him. But lately she was indifferent and cold. Had she done something wrong?
He pondered. Last time, before he came back, they didnât fight. He was busier these days and they werenât in touch much, there wasnât even a chance to argue.
Maybe he was overthinking it. Maybe Jasmine wasnât mad at him.
âGive me the baby.â Jessica reached over and took the baby from Doloresâ arm.
âThe baby needs more sleep at this point.â
Dolores handed the baby to Jessica and went to pour two glasses of water. She set one in front of Boyce and asked, âWhen is the next time youâll be back?â
âIn a month or so,â Boyce replied.
Dolores nodded; she took a sip of water and asked, âHow many days have you been here already? When are you coming back?â
âIâve been pretty busy lately. After finishing things there, I finally have some free time now. I can stay one more day, so Iâll be back on Tuesday. And the next time I go back, I should be pretty much done with my studies there,â Boyce said.
âI know youâre busy, but, still, you should make time to be with Jasmine.â When Jasmine came last time, Dolores noticed there was something on his mind. She kept smiling, but she was spacing out a lot.
Boyce nodded, âI know.â
âThe food is ready.â Coral put the dishes on the table. Today all was quiet at Doloresâs house. It was Sunday and Jayden had taken his grandchildren to the museum. They werenât coming back for lunch; Matthew too, as he had some business to attend to.
He was not as cheerful as he used to be.
Boyce returned after lunch. He sat in the car and realized he had nowhere to go. No one was home, Jasmine wasnât home. He pulled out his phone and texted Jasmine: [Have you eaten?]
Jasmine was in the cafeteria. She had bought something to eat, but she had no appetite. Her phone rang and she pulled out her phone. She realized it was Boyce who had texted her and quickly unlocked her phone. She was angry that Boyce hadnât taken the initiative to contact her, but she couldnât help but want to care about him and feel happy for a message from him.
She read it and tried to act nonchalant as she replied, [Yes].
Boyce held his phone and didnât know what else to say. Should he tell her he missed her? Was it too corny? Jasmine was at school, so he asked her, [What did you eat?] Jasmine was speechless.
How could she be such an idiot?
She held her breath and replied, [Yogurt drink, salad and sandwich].
Boyce realized it was a stupid question, and then asked, [How many more classes do you have today?].
There was a glimmer of hope in Jasmineâs eyes and she replied, [Why?].
Boyce quickly wrote: [I want to see youâ¦].
But then he hesitated and changed it: [Letâs have dinner together]. Jasmine was speechless again.
What an idiot of a man!
[I have classes, I donât have time]. Jasmine wrote and put her phone on the table. She had no appetite to begin with, and now she felt worse.
Elaine approached her, âJasmine, letâs go shopping after this, since we donât have classes in the afternoon.â
Jasmine didnât want to go and wasnât in the mood.
She asked Elaine, âHave you found an internship yet?â.
Elaine shook her head, âNot yet, how about you?â
âIâm signing up for the Double H Stock Exchange.â Jasmine was studying finance and wanted to work at a company related to her field. She wanted to gain relevant experiences.
But it wasnât easy to get into that particular company. She couldnât get in without help.
âAsk your husband to help you, Iâm sure he knows someone,â Elaine said enviously. âYouâre already married before you finish college, not to mention your husband is a good man. If I were you, Iâd drop out of school. Iâd stay home and be a stay-at-home mom, taking care of my kids and my husband. Isnât that great too?â Jasmine looked at her, she didnât want to be a housewife.
She wanted to be just like Boyce.
At first, she wanted to take the test to be a cop. But then she thought maybe it wasnât a good idea for both of them to work in the same field. So she decided to study what she originally wanted to do.
âJasmine, Iâll buy you a drink. Come shop with me.â Elaine held Elaineâs arm.
Elaine held Jasmineâs arm, âIt would be so boring to go shopping alone.â Jasmine pursed her lips.
âTwo drinks. Iâll buy you two drinks, okay?â.
Jasmine looked at her and said, âFine. One drink is enough.â
âThen hurry up and finish your meal.â Elaine urged Jasmine to eat faster so they could go shopping.
Jasmine picked up her chopsticks and looked at her phone. There were no new messages. She picked up the phone and put it in her pocket, put her head down and continued eating.
After eating, Elaine hailed a cab. They got into the car at the university entrance. Jasmine thought Elaine wanted to go to Peace Street. Peace Street had everything and the prices were usually reasonable. She didnât know Elaine wanted to go to a mall.
They were students and didnât have that much money.
The clothes at the mall were more expensive.
Jasmine asked, âWhat do you want to buy?â
âI want to buy business clothes, for job interviews,â Elaine said as she looked at Jasmine, âArenât you going to buy one?â
Jasmine shook her head, âI already have one.â
âYou bought it on Peace Street, didnât you?â. Elaine stared at her.
Jasmine bought it on Peace Street. She thought it was good enough, âWhatâs wrong with it? It fits my identity.â
Sheâd never had a serious job. She thought wearing brand-name clothes would make her look fake.
Besides, she would only be an intern, there was no point in wearing nice, brand-name clothes.
But Elaine disagreed, she thought nice clothes could make one feel more confident. âDidnât your husband give you money?â
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