After Greg had left, Jasmine and Michael sat beside each other and did not speak. For a long time, it was quite in the room. Finally, he broke the silence between them.
"Jasmine?",he said softly and she turned to look at him.
"I want you to know that I get it now."
"Do you?"
"Yes,but I want you to know something."
"What?"
"I'm not like Greg and I would never do anything to hurt you."
She sighed and stared at the wall.
"Damn it,Jasmine! Look at me!", he said fiercely and she turned back to him and looked at him.
"I know that he hurt you and now you are scared to get hurt again,but you don't have to be scared of me. Please don't do this to yourself because you are beautiful and you deserve to be happy. I want to make you happy. I want to see you smile again, but I can't do that if you don't let me, so please don't shut me out. If you will just give me a chance, I promise that I will never break your heart."
"Don't make promises that you can't keep.", she said and walked into the kitchen.
He was not going to let her get away that easily and he followed her. He began to sing "Liberian Girl" to her. As he sang the song, he cupped her face and stared into her eyes, which were shiny with tears. When he finished with his song, he kissed her and wiped her tears away.
"I love you, Jasmine.", he whispered and kissed her again.
She broke the kiss and tried to move away from him, but he grabbed her and pulled her closer to him deepening the kiss. She tried to resist it, but it was no use. She was losing the battle. But oh how sweet the lost! She was tired of fighting her feeling for him. She kissed him passionately and soon they were back in the living room lip-wrestling on the couch. Then she broke the kiss again.
"Wait. I can't do this."
"Why?"
"Because it is not right."
"Yes, it is. Let me show you just how right it is. Come here.", he said seductively and reached for her again.
"No. Michael, I want you to leave."
"But, Jasmine did you hear what I said? I'm in love with you and I have loved you since the first day that I met you."
She did not answer him.
"You can't tell me that you don't feel anything for me because I know that you do!"
"It doesn't matter what I feel about you because we can't be together. Face it, Michael I just don't fit in your world. Now please leave.", she said sadly.
When she said that, Michael knew that he had lost her. As he walked to the door, he could feel his heart breaking.
"Jasmine, I just want you to know that I will never stop loving you. I really hope that one day you will find a man that can make you happy. I just wish that it could be me,but I will just have to accept that and move on with my life. I won't come back because I'm leaving tomorrow and going on tour. Take care of yourself, Jasmine and you will always be my Liberian girl."
Then he walked out the door and closed it. behind him.
"Jasmine?",he said softly and she turned to look at him.
"I want you to know that I get it now."
"Do you?"
"Yes,but I want you to know something."
"What?"
"I'm not like Greg and I would never do anything to hurt you."
She sighed and stared at the wall.
"Damn it,Jasmine! Look at me!", he said fiercely and she turned back to him and looked at him.
"I know that he hurt you and now you are scared to get hurt again,but you don't have to be scared of me. Please don't do this to yourself because you are beautiful and you deserve to be happy. I want to make you happy. I want to see you smile again, but I can't do that if you don't let me, so please don't shut me out. If you will just give me a chance, I promise that I will never break your heart."
"Don't make promises that you can't keep.", she said and walked into the kitchen.
He was not going to let her get away that easily and he followed her. He began to sing "Liberian Girl" to her. As he sang the song, he cupped her face and stared into her eyes, which were shiny with tears. When he finished with his song, he kissed her and wiped her tears away.
"I love you, Jasmine.", he whispered and kissed her again.
She broke the kiss and tried to move away from him, but he grabbed her and pulled her closer to him deepening the kiss. She tried to resist it, but it was no use. She was losing the battle. But oh how sweet the lost! She was tired of fighting her feeling for him. She kissed him passionately and soon they were back in the living room lip-wrestling on the couch. Then she broke the kiss again.
"Wait. I can't do this."
"Why?"
"Because it is not right."
"Yes, it is. Let me show you just how right it is. Come here.", he said seductively and reached for her again.
"No. Michael, I want you to leave."
"But, Jasmine did you hear what I said? I'm in love with you and I have loved you since the first day that I met you."
She did not answer him.
"You can't tell me that you don't feel anything for me because I know that you do!"
"It doesn't matter what I feel about you because we can't be together. Face it, Michael I just don't fit in your world. Now please leave.", she said sadly.
When she said that, Michael knew that he had lost her. As he walked to the door, he could feel his heart breaking.
"Jasmine, I just want you to know that I will never stop loving you. I really hope that one day you will find a man that can make you happy. I just wish that it could be me,but I will just have to accept that and move on with my life. I won't come back because I'm leaving tomorrow and going on tour. Take care of yourself, Jasmine and you will always be my Liberian girl."
Then he walked out the door and closed it. behind him.
His first goal in life must have been to own a candy store because he loved to play storekeeper. After Joe began giving him and his brothers a weekly allowance, he would spend every cent of it on candy and gum. He’d come home with an armful of it, take a board and two bricks and place them in the doorway to the boys’ bedroom, place a cloth over the board, lay the candy on top of it, and sell it to his brothers and sisters and friends for the same price he’d paid for it.
Michael was also a serious candy-eater and gum-chewer. Before he opened his “store,” he’d save his pennies so that he could purchase bubble gum at the concession stand at the Little League ball park behind our house. One night, however, he couldn’t find his penny for gum and he was so upset he started crying. “Mother, do you know what happened to my penny?” he asked. I knew the answer when I saw Marlon @Marlon_Jackson happily chewing away on a wad of bubble gum nearby.
Michael was also a serious candy-eater and gum-chewer. Before he opened his “store,” he’d save his pennies so that he could purchase bubble gum at the concession stand at the Little League ball park behind our house. One night, however, he couldn’t find his penny for gum and he was so upset he started crying. “Mother, do you know what happened to my penny?” he asked. I knew the answer when I saw Marlon @Marlon_Jackson happily chewing away on a wad of bubble gum nearby.