Chapter Fourteen

***

Yasmine lifted the last album that was labeled, ‘Lily and Aaron’s memories.’ Maybe, there would be something in here this time. She opened the big, white, front flap of the album.

Immediately, the smell of perfume wafted into her nose. She coughed, trying to find oxygen. Lily had poured at least five different bottles of perfume on the front page. Yasmine was seriously questioning to go any further. Her nose might give out before she even got to the second page.

A picture of Aaron’s hands wrapped around Lily’s hips, and them facing the camera was posted in the middle of the front page. It was surrounded by a heart frame. Their names were carved in the most beautiful font. They looked really happy. Yasmine started thinking; maybe she should just forget about Aaron completely, and let him be happy with the girl he’s truly happy with. Lily.

Feeling an overwhelming emotion of sadness coming on, she decided to go to the next page, not being able to bear anymore.

The second page was labeled, ‘Aaron throughout the years.’ There was a little cute baby in a white diaper. He had light blonde hair, and blue eyes. No doubt that was Aaron. It seems his hair darkened over the years.

“Aw,” Yasmine said, running her hand over the baby picture. Wait a minute, baby picture! If there was a baby picture of Aaron, and a page of him throughout the years, there must be one on Lily! Without hesitation, she flipped through all the pages about Aaron until there was a big white page in the middle of the album. It said, ‘Lily throughout the years.’

She quickly flipped the page, and saw a little baby girl wrapped in blankets. It must’ve been when she was just born. She couldn’t tell if that the baby was the blonde girl. She needed a picture of Lily as a toddler or something.

A little irritated under the pressure of Aaron coming home soon, and not being able to find the correct picture, she slightly ripped one of the pages she was turning.

Great, Yasmine thought sarcastically, just what I need.

She got up and looked for tape. If Aaron saw this, he’d get suspicious.

Ding! Her phone chimed.

Yasmine grabbed her iPhone out of her jacket pocket. It was a text from Aaron! It read: Almost there! How’s the burn? C u soon! 

“Crap, crap, crap,” Yasmine stammered. She had a limited amount of time now. She really needed to find the picture now. “Ah, forget the tape.”

She ran back to where the album was, and flipped through the pages. Just when she was about to flip the current page she was on, something caught her eye. Familiar blonde hair! That’s it! Yasmine went back to the picture. She fumbled around to pull out the picture of the little blonde girl. Placing the photo next to Lily’s photo, Yasmine examined them slowly, and carefully.

It was the same blonde girl.

In the picture, Lily was sitting next to some flowers, smiling happily as she tried to make a flower queen. When she was that age, she had been sure she was a fairy queen.

“Holy moly!” Yasmine cried out, discovering the same toddler in both pictures. “Lily’s . . . the blonde girl I’ve been dreaming about. Is she,” she gulped, “my sister?”

It couldn’t be. It can’t be.

She had been an only child for as long as she knew. And, now she had a sister? It didn’t make any sense.

Once again, she heard the jingle of keys. Aaron must be back! Yasmine quickly gathered all the albums and carefully reorganized them, making them look untouched. She could hear the door slowly opening. Quickening her pace before he saw her, she pushed the albums back on the bottom shelf. She remembered to take the toddler picture from the album with her.

What should I do? Yasmine thought.

An idea hit her.

“What’re you doing, Yasmine?” Aaron asked, taking off his coat and hanging it on the coat holder near the door.

“Um,” Yasmine said, slowly coming from the side of the bookshelf. She had tried hiding behind it; she didn’t know what she was thinking. She had panicked and just did the most reasonable thing to her at the time; hide. “I think I dropped my phone.”

“Oh, hope you find it.” He placed a plastic white bag from Walgreens on the little dining table. “I got some burn ointment.”

What could she do now? She didn’t even have a real burn! She didn’t think this far into her plan!

“Oh, found my phone!” she exclaimed, hoping he wouldn’t see through her lie. She suddenly had an idea. “Oh look, my father sent me a text. He wants me hope ASAP,” she lied. “Sorry!”

“Well, that’s too bad,” Aaron frowned. “Take the ointment with you.” He pulled out a little ointment container and handed it to her.

Yasmine ran over to him and quickly snatched the ointment. “Thanks,” she said, heading to the door.

“Wait,” Aaron stopped her, grabbing her arm.

Yikes! What now? Yasmine asked herself. “Yeah?” she tilted her head, and tried smiling.

“Are we cool about the engagement thing?” he asked, knitting his brows.

“I don’t know,” she replied, honestly not sure.

“Please, Yasmine! I wasn’t thinking right. I guess, I didn’t like the ways all the guys were fanning over you,” he said, with a pleading face.

Yasmine’s cheeks flamed. She hadn’t been paying attention to his explanation before since she was planning a diabolical plan to get a picture of Lily. Had he been jealous? Did that mean he liked her? Even just a little bit? That somehow he still had a little part of his heart that yearned for Yasmine?

No, she told herself. He’s getting married. He just must’ve hated how everyone was paying attention to me instead of him and Lily. Yeah, that’s right! I must’ve been taking his spotlight.

“Oh, er,” Yasmine paused. “I don’t know, Aaron.”

“Please forgive me,” he pouted. He made his famous puppy dog face. His blue eyes sparkled, and he folded his hands in front of his face. His lower lip was out and pouting.

How could she resist that? “Fine,” she tried to make her voice sound angry, but she probably sounded defeated. “I forgive you.”

In a matter of micro seconds, Aaron wrapped his arms around her and squeezed. “Thank you so much, Yasmine!”

Her cheeks were warm as ever. How could he do this? How could he make her feel like this? How could he make her remember all those feelings she forced to forget? She took the advantage and hugged him back. Yasmine could tell he was surprised she hugged him back, because he suddenly stiffened. He smelled deliciously good.

Wait a minute, she thought, I was supposed to be forgetting this jerk. And he’s getting married! And I have a better-looking boyfriend who treats me right.

Aaron’s arms tightened around her, just like old times. He’d always hug her tight. Oh screw rules right now, he thought.

His happiness was interrupted when Yasmine pulled back. “Er, congratulations on your engagement,” she said, her cheeks red, and her hand scratching the back of her neck.

Suddenly, Aaron remembered. Oh yeah, I’m getting married . . . to another girl that isn’t Yasmine. He internally groaned, and put on a fake smile. “Thanks,” he said, trying to sound like that’s what he wanted.

“Well, I gotta go. See you around,” she waved goodbye.

“Bye,” Aaron said, following her to the door. “Visit again.”

“I will,” she smiled before heading out and shutting the door behind her.

Aaron walked to his dining table like a zombie. He put a hand to his heart. Why was it beating so fast after hugging her? Why are these stupid feelings coming back?

*

“Mind if I sit here?” Yasmine asked the old lady. She had almost complete white,

short hair, and big glasses and a floral dress on. The only seat that was available on the crowded bus was next to her.

“Of course, sweetie,” the old lady replied, picking up her purse from the seat and onto her lap. She was exactly the ideal image of a granny.

“Thanks,” she said, taking a seat on the moving bus. She was heading home. But, all she could think about was the possibility—no, the actual confirmation that Lily was the blonde girl in her dreams, the girl that somehow her sister.

It didn’t make sense. How? How could Lily be Yasmine’s sister? She was pretty sure her mom didn’t pop out a baby when she wasn’t looking. It didn’t make sense.Maybe they just looked alike. Maybe, her father just liked calling Lily her baby girl. But, he wouldn’t do that. He only calls Yasmine baby girl. He only calls his daughter baby girl. So, technically, Lily was his daughter?

Yasmine put her hands to her hair and started pulling in frustration. The granny next to her looked at her as if she were crazy. It was so confusing and irritating not knowing. There was only one way to find out the truth to all this . . . her father.

Only he knew the answer.

After a couple of stops, Yasmine finally got off and headed home. The wind from earlier had disappeared, and was replaced by a cool summer breeze. Summer was kicking around, and so was her last year of college. She had been majoring in many things, trying out different things every now and then. But, for now she would stop. If she wanted to do anything else in the future, she could just go back to college to finish the years.

Other than working part time at the restaurant, she really had no way of earning money. Well, her father too. Maybe he would let Yasmine inherit the company.

Yasmine finally reached the front door of her house. She still didn’t get why they were living at such a small, one-story house if her father owned a company. They could be living in a mansion for god’s sake.

The truth was, her father didn’t want to let go of the memories in the small house. Memories of Yasmine’s mother, when Yasmine was just born; every memory of them together was in the small house. Her father never wanted to forget that.

After unlocking the door, she took a deep breath. What she was about to do could risk her and her father’s relationship. It all depended on the answer he gave.

“I’m home!” she shouted out, closing the door and taking off her jacket. She hung it on the coat rack and walked into the living room. Nobody was there. It was the same everywhere else too. The house was empty.

Just when Yasmine was about to leave the kitchen she spotted a bright yellow sticky note on the granite top of the island. It said:

GOING GROCERY SHOPPING AND RUNNING SOME ERRANDS

BE BACK LATER

LOVE YOU,

DAD

That was great, just great. Exactly when she needed to talk serious with her father, he was “grocery shopping and running errands.”

Yasmine sighed in agony. She went and changed into some sweats and tied her hair up in a bun. Might as well wait, she thought, getting a ripe apple from the pantry. There was nothing in the fridge, or the cabinets. They really were out of food.

She took a bite, and decided to hunt down her phone to play some games. Her phone was in the jacket pocket with a photo of the mystery blonde girl, and one of Lily. When she pulled them out, the girls still looked eerily similar. She stuffed them in her sweats’ pocket in case she had to show her dad. Also, she found the burn ointment Aaron had given her. Not sure what to do with it, she just put it in the medicine cabinet of her bathroom. Someday she would probably need it.

She had noticed her pills that the doctor had given her that might numb the massive headaches and nausea. But, she didn’t take them. What was the point? She knew she was going to die. She had also been skipping chemo, and radioactive therapy. Her doctor had been calling her for the past few weeks, bugging her on attending her treatments.

Of course, she hadn’t told anyone she’d been skipping. Not after the entire situation at the ice-cream shop. If James found out, he would certainly flip out and force her to go. Her father would do the same too.

Yasmine closed the medicine closet, and headed back into the living room. She got comfy on the couch, and let a single tear roll down her cheek.

Even after everything, she still couldn’t believe she had brain cancer. Even it was in the early stages, and she only had nausea and painful headaches, and sometimes numbness. She could not believe that she was going to die. Not to mention that now, her ex-boyfriend who she kind of still liked was getting married. Or that she had a boyfriend called James, and these feelings for Aaron shouldn’t be there.

She let a few more tears fall. Her life was getting so confusing and complicated. She just wanted to quit.

* *

“Honey?” Yasmine heard a voice. She slowly opened her eyes, and saw her father’s weary face. “Oh good, you’re awake. I thought maybe you had fainted.” Her father smiled, and stood up with the plastic bags of groceries in his hands. He walked over to the kitchen and started placing them where they belonged.

“I fell asleep?” Yasmine said, more like a question than a statement. She didn’t even realize she had fallen asleep.

“Can you help me, sweetie?” her father asked, putting away a box of cocoa puffs in the cabinets.

“Sure,” Yasmine answered, getting up from the couch and to the kitchen. She picked up the milk and placed it in the fridge. When she turned around, her father was picking up some carrots with a solemn face. “What’s wrong, dad?”

“What do you mean?” he asked, looking up at Yasmine.

“You look really depressed,” she explained, putting away the egg carton.

“Well there’s something going on with the—I mean, work is just tiring,” her father corrected.

Yasmine looked at her father for a second. He was lying. Whenever he was lying, his eyebrow twitched a little bit. He was hiding something. Something was going on, but what?

Then she suddenly remembered why she was waiting for her father. The Lily thing! Since they were all done with the groceries, she took a seat across her father on the island. “Dad, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it? Is it about your treatment? Is something wrong? Did they find something?” he rambled, concern on his face.

“No, dad, it’s something else,” she said, looking down at the granite top of the island. She fiddled with her fingers. How was she going to explain this? “Am I . . . an only child?”

His eyes widened. Wrinkles formed on his forehead. But, he quickly hid his expression and went back to a serious one. “W-What do you mean, honey?”

“Is there somehow, I dunno, a sister I might have?” she whispered, biting her lip. She did not know what her father would answer. What would happen?

“W-Why would you think that?” he asked, dodging her question.

“You didn’t answer my question,” she said, looking up straight at him.

“H-honey, of course n-not,” he answered, his eyes scanning something to stare at.

“Really?” she asked. Now she definitely knew her father was lying. His eyebrow was twitching higher than usual, and because she had evidence. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out the photograph of the blonde girl and herself at the zoo. “Then, what’s this?” she asked, pushing the picture towards her father. She hated doubting and questioning him like this, but she had to. The answer was essential, even if it meant putting her father on the spot.

Her father’s eyes bulged out. He slowly reached and took the photo in his hand, all while he was shaking. “W-Where did you find this?”

“It doesn’t matter, dad. You lied to me. Who is this girl?” she asked, now on the verge of getting completely angry.

Silence filled the air for a moment.

Her father cleared his throat. “I-It’s your sister.”

Yasmine froze. It actually was her sister. Lily Porter, was her sister. She was her sister. It kept repeating in her mind, but it didn’t process. It still didn’t make sense. But, it was the truth. How? How did this happen?

“Who’s child is she? Is she mom’s?” Yasmine dared to ask, feeling her eyes watering. “Why am I only finding out about her now?

He stared of into the distance, his eyes full of pain . . . and guilt?

“Answer me!” she roared, getting angry now. She paused and looked at the possibilities. “D-Did you c-cheat on mom?”

No answer.

“Did you?!” Yasmine practically yelled now.

“I loved your mom,” he answered.

“YOU’RE DODGING MY QUESTIONS! Did you cheat on mom!?” she shouted, her fists tightening.

Once again, silence swept over the room. After a couple of minutes, her father straightened in his seat. “Yes, but I can explain.”

“You sick bastard!” she yelled. That was the first time she ever swore in front of her father, or even at her father. But, she was disgusted. She knew boys were all the same, but even her own father?!

Her father looked even sadder than before. That almost stopped Yasmine from getting angry, but the thought that he had gone and had another baby with someone other than her mom made her sick. Angrier than ever, she stormed to her room and slammed the door shut.

“Please let me explain, Yasmine!” he shouted through the door.

Yasmine reached under her bed and pulled out a duffel bag. She needed to get out of there. Fast. She doesn’t know what else she could take. Her life was getting more and more complicated by the second. Filled with lies, and hatred, she couldn’t trust anyone anymore.

She pulled out her drawers and picked up whatever she could carry and stuffed it in her orange duffel bag. Tops, pants, lingerie were all in the bag. She went to the bathroom and got her toiletries and placed it on the side of the duffel bag. Finishing up, she zipped the bag shut with anger. Yasmine grabbed her phone, and wallet. Her dad was still trying to get her to open the door.

“Open the door, Yasmine. Let me explain!” he pleaded.

But, she didn’t care. She had has just about enough of everything right now. She was going to run away. It didn’t matter what the story was. Yasmine was disgusted with her father. And, he was the only person that lived with her. She didn’t want to see his face anymore.

Grabbing some notebook from her classes, she scribbled a note to her father:

Don’t bother me right now. I am disgusted with you. Don’t even search for me. I will come back when I feel it is right. How could you do that?! How could you cheat on mom?!

Yasmine

She signed her name, and slipped the note under the door. When the pleading stopped, she could tell her father was reading the note. Taking the opportunity to escape, she heaved her window open, and threw her bag out first. Just when she was about to jump out too, she heard her father.

“Yasmine, wait!” he yelled, but it was too late. She was already out the window. It was a good thing they lived on a one story house.

After her shoes touched the grass of their yard, she sighed, and let the tears fall. She started running; her father would catch up to her any minute if she didn’t.

How could this happen to her?

How could one of the people she trusted the most, be the person she now disgusted?

She ran to the bus stop and took out her wallet for her bus card. Her face was wet with tears. Yasmine had no idea where she was headed. But, she couldn’t stay here. Not here.

When the bus arrived, she quickly got in and took a seat.

There was only one person she could go to right now.

He would help me, Yasmine thought, pressing her head against the bus window. She rubbed her face, drying her tears. He definitely would help me.

She had to be strong, or else, she’d break apart.